--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no man,’ he began, ‘however…" description: "\"“There is no man,’ he began, ‘however wise, who has not at some period of his youth said things, or lived in a way the consciousness of which is so unp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/marcel-proust-114_bildungsroman_there-is-no-man-he-began-however-wise-wh_334653.jpg" --- # There is no man,’ he began, ‘however wise, who has not at… ![“There is no man,’ he began, ‘however wise, who has not at some period of his youth said things, or lived in a way the consciousness of which is so unpleasant to him in later life that he would gladly, if he could, expunge it from his memory. And yet he ought not entirely to regret it, because he…” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/marcel-proust-114_bildungsroman_there-is-no-man-he-began-however-wise-wh_334653.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/marcel-proust-114_bildungsroman_there-is-no-man-he-began-however-wise-wh_334653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/marcel-proust-114_bildungsroman_there-is-no-man-he-began-however-wise-wh_334653.jpg) > ““There is no man,’ he began, ‘however wise, who has not at some period of his youth said things, or lived in a way the consciousness of which is so unpleasant to him in later life that he would gladly, if he could, expunge it from his memory. And yet he ought not entirely to regret it, because he cannot be certain that he has indeed become a wise man—so far as it is possible for any of us to be wise—unless he has passed through all the fatuous or unwholesome incarnations by which that ultimate stage must be preceded. I know that there are young fellows, the sons and grand sons of famous men, whose masters have instilled into them nobility of mind and moral refinement in their schooldays. They have, perhaps, when they look back upon their past lives, nothing to retract; they can, if they choose, publish a signed account of everything they have ever said or done; but they are poor creatures, feeble descendants of doctrinaires, and their wisdom is negative and sterile. We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us, an effort which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world. The lives that you admire, the attitudes that seem noble to you are not the result of training at home, by a father, or by masters at school, they have sprung from beginnings of a very different order, by reaction from the influence of everything evil or commonplace that prevailed round about them. They represent a struggle and a victory. I can see that the picture of what we once were, in early youth, may not be recognisable and cannot, certainly, be pleasing to contemplate in later life. But we must not deny the truth of it, for it is evidence that we have really lived, that it is in accordance with the laws of life and of the mind that we have, from the common elements of life, of the life of studios, of artistic groups—assuming that one is a painter—extracted something that goes beyond them.”” [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wisdom emerges from confronting and integrating all life experiences, even unpleasant ones. **In simple terms:** Wisdom comes from living through all experiences. Key Takeaway Accept and learn from every life chapter. Themes growth wisdom experience Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal setbacks - career failures - relationship challenges - creative blocks Key Concepts existentialism self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - What past experience shaped you most? - Can you find value in painful memories? A Different Perspective Some experiences may be harmful and not all lessons are positive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Laws of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-of-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Past Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-lives/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Self development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-development/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-man/) ## Related quotes > [“We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-are-not-provided-with-wisdom-we-must-discover-it-for-ourselves/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [It is a proof of nobility of mind to despise injuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-is-a-proof-of-nobility-of-mind-to-despise-injuries/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Evil can be a teacher, if you look at the wisdom of its negative power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/evil-can-be-a-teacher-if-you-look-at-the-wisdom-of-its-negative-power/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [“The day came when she discovered sex, sensuality, and literature; she said, 'I submit! 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Malzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-n-malzberg/) > [“I went around the house to the back door thinking, I have been to a dance and a boy has walked me home and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/i-went-around-the-house-to-the-back-door-thinking-i-have-been-to-a/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“The day came when she discovered sex, sensuality, and literature; she said, 'I submit! Let my life be henceforth ruled by poetry. Let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/the-day-came-when-she-discovered-sex-sensuality-and-literature-she/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) Browse all 6 Bildungsroman quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no man,’ he began, ‘however wise, who has not at some period of his youth said things, or lived in a way the consciousness of which is so unpleasant to him in later life that he would gladly, if he could, expunge it from his memory. And yet he ought not entirely to regret it, because he cannot be certain that he has indeed become a wise man—so far as it is possible for any of us to be wise—unless he has passed through all the fatuous or unwholesome incarnations by which that ultimate stage must be preceded. I know that there are young fellows, the sons and grand sons of famous men, whose masters have instilled into them nobility of mind and moral refinement in their schooldays. They have, perhaps, when they look back upon their past lives, nothing to retract; they can, if they choose, publish a signed account of everything they have ever said or done; but they are poor creatures, feeble descendants of doctrinaires, and their wisdom is negative and sterile. We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us, an effort which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world. The lives that you admire, the attitudes that seem noble to you are not the result of training at home, by a father, or by masters at school, they have sprung from beginnings of a very different order, by reaction from the influence of everything evil or commonplace that prevailed round about them. They represent a struggle and a victory. I can see that the picture of what we once were, in early youth, may not be recognisable and cannot, certainly, be pleasing to contemplate in later life. 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