--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live not alone but chained to a…" description: "\"We live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom: our body.\" — Marcel Proust" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/marcel-proust-114_body_we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creat_390039.jpg" --- # We live not alone but chained to a creature of a different… ![“We live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom: our body.” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/marcel-proust-114_body_we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creat_390039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/marcel-proust-114_body_we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creat_390039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/marcel-proust-114_body_we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creat_390039.jpg) > “We live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom: our body.” [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. Human bodies bind us, making us dependent on a physical form separate from our mind. **In simple terms:** We are tied to our bodies, a different kingdom from our thoughts. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of the physical self. Themes mortality embodiment dualism Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - health decisions - mindfulness practice - physical training - medical ethics - spiritual contemplation Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does bodily awareness affect your choices? - Can you transcend physical limits? A Different Perspective Physical constraints can limit mental aspirations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Chained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chained/) [Chained Creature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chained-creature-3520684/) [Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelled/) [Creature Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creature-different-2220433/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different Kingdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-kingdom-3520686/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Live Chained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-chained-3520685/) [Not alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-alone/) [Voyages of discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voyages-of-discovery/) [Worlds apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worlds-apart/) ## Related quotes > [It is in moments of illness that we are compelled to recognize that we live not alone but chained to a creature of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-is-in-moments-of-illness-that-we-are-compelled-to-recognize-that/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“It is in sickness that we are compelled to recognise that we do not live alone but are chained to a being from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-is-in-sickness-that-we-are-compelled-to-recognise-that-we-do-not/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I'm always wondering, if Bigfoot's not real, then why does this creature show up in all these different cultures? I'm always fascinated by that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/i-m-always-wondering-if-bigfoot-s-not-real-then-why-does-this/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [The only true voyage of discovery, . . . would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-only-true-voyage-of-discovery-would-be-not-to-visit-strange-lands-2/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The true voyage of discovery is not a journey to a new place; it is learning to see with new eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-true-voyage-of-discovery-is-not-a-journey-to-a-new-place-it-is/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Le veritable voyage de decouverte ne consiste pas a chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais a avoir de nouveaux yeux. (The real voyage of discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/le-veritable-voyage-de-decouverte-ne-consiste-pas-a-chercher-de/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“It is illness that makes us recognize that we do not live in isolation but are chained to a being from a different realm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-is-illness-that-makes-us-recognize-that-we-do-not-live-in/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [It has always been my belief that the true artist, like the true scientist, is a researcher using materials and techniques to dig into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-strand/it-has-always-been-my-belief-that-the-true-artist-like-the-true/) [Paul Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-strand/) > [Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/writing-like-life-itself-is-a-voyage-of-discovery/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. The adventure is a metaphysical one: it is a way of approaching life indirectly, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/writing-like-life-itself-is-a-voyage-of-discovery-the-adventure-is-a-2/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [When a man talks with absolute sincerity and freedom he goes on a voyage of discovery. The whole company has shares in the enterprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay-chapman/when-a-man-talks-with-absolute-sincerity-and-freedom-he-goes-on-a/) [John Jay Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay-chapman/) > [To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-many-people-holidays-are-not-voyages-of-discovery-but-a-ritual-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is what I like about life at sea. It’s one long voyage of discovery. Solid water! What will they think of next? Hopefully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gideon-defoe/this-is-what-i-like-about-life-at-sea-it-s-one-long-voyage-of/) [Gideon Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gideon-defoe/) > [It is better to travel with hope in one's heart than to arrive in safety. . . . We should celebrate today's failure because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-kelly/it-is-better-to-travel-with-hope-in-one-s-heart-than-to-arrive-in/) [Jacqueline Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-kelly/) > [The ragamuffin who sees his life as a voyage of discovery and runs the risk of failure has a better feel for faithfulness than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/the-ragamuffin-who-sees-his-life-as-a-voyage-of-discovery-and-runs/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## More by Marcel Proust > [“machinery' of life at Versailles; and was able, too, to persuade herself that her silence, a shade of good humour or of arrogance on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/machinery-of-life-at-versailles-and-was-able-too-to-persuade-herself/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [ “For her \[Françoise\], wealth was like a necessary condition without which virtue would lack both merit and charm. She made so little distinction between… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/for-her-fran-oise-wealth-was-like-a-necessary-condition-without-which/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Knowing does not always allow us to prevent, but at least the things that we know, we hold them, if not in our hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/knowing-does-not-always-allow-us-to-prevent-but-at-least-the-things/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Death is in truth an illness from which we recover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/death-is-in-truth-an-illness-from-which-we-recover/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The bonds that unite another person to our self exist only in our mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-bonds-that-unite-another-person-to-our-self-exist-only-in-our-mind/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [...a writer's works, like the water in an artesian well, mount to a height which is in proportion to the depth to which suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-writer-s-works-like-the-water-in-an-artesian-well-mount-to-a-height/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Then from those profound slumbers we awake in a dawn, not knowing who we are, being nobody, newly born, ready for anything, the brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-from-those-profound-slumbers-we-awake-in-a-dawn-not-knowing-who/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Art extracted from the most familiar reality does indeed exist and its domain is perhaps the largest of any.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/art-extracted-from-the-most-familiar-reality-does-indeed-exist-and/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I find very reasonable the Celtic belief that the souls of our dearly departed are trapped in some inferior being, in an animal, aplant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-find-very-reasonable-the-celtic-belief-that-the-souls-of-our-dearly/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“When you heard anyone in the middle of a talk which was being deliberately kept off the Affair announce furtively some piece of political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-you-heard-anyone-in-the-middle-of-a-talk-which-was-being/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“We betroth ourselves by proxy, and then feel obliged to marry the intermediary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-betroth-ourselves-by-proxy-and-then-feel-obliged-to-marry-the/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“But the old lady on the contrary, far from justifying her daughter’s fears, felt every time someone of her own age “disappeared” that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/but-the-old-lady-on-the-contrary-far-from-justifying-her-daughter-s/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Often it is just lack of imagination that keeps a man from suffering very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/often-it-is-just-lack-of-imagination-that-keeps-a-man-from-suffering/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“When we are nice to others, we generally lose all claim to their respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-we-are-nice-to-others-we-generally-lose-all-claim-to-their/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Nobility is often no more than the inner aspect which our egotistical feelings assume when we have not yet named and classified them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/nobility-is-often-no-more-than-the-inner-aspect-which-our-egotistical/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) [Explore all 1,113 Marcel Proust quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom: our body.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcel Proust" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creature-of-a-different-kingdom/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creature-of-a-different-kingdom/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/marcel-proust-114_body_we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creat_390039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/marcel-proust-114_body_we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creat_390039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/marcel-proust-114_body_we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creat_390039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom: our body.” — Marcel Proust", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marcel Proust", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We live not alone but chained...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creature-of-a-different-kingdom/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-live-not-alone-but-chained-to-a-creature-of-a-different-kingdom/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```