--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I see it, life is an effort to grip…" description: "\"As I see it, life is an effort to grip before they slip through one's fingers and slide into oblivion, the startling, the ghastly or the blindingly exq..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/mervyn-peake-2927_black_as-i-see-it-life-is-an-effort-to-grip-be_2595657.jpg" --- # As I see it, life is an effort to grip before they slip… ![“As I see it, life is an effort to grip before they slip through one's fingers and slide into oblivion, the startling, the ghastly or the blindingly exquisite fish of the imagination before they whip away on the endless current and are lost for ever in oblivion's black ocean.” quote by Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/mervyn-peake-2927_black_as-i-see-it-life-is-an-effort-to-grip-be_2595657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/mervyn-peake-2927_black_as-i-see-it-life-is-an-effort-to-grip-be_2595657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/936/mervyn-peake-2927_black_as-i-see-it-life-is-an-effort-to-grip-be_2595657.jpg) > “As I see it, life is an effort to grip before they slip through one's fingers and slide into oblivion, the startling, the ghastly or the blindingly exquisite fish of the imagination before they whip away on the endless current and are lost for ever in oblivion's black ocean.” [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s fleeting moments slip away like vivid, elusive fish in imagination **In simple terms:** Moments are fleeting and must be grasped Key Takeaway Cherish vivid experiences before they fade Themes transience imagination existence Mood melancholic poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - personal reflection - mindfulness Key Concepts ephemeral beauty psychological depth Questions to Reflect On - What fleeting moments do you wish you could keep? - How do you stay present amid life’s flow? A Different Perspective Not all moments can be captured or held ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Oblivion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oblivion/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) ## Related quotes > [We say that we often see animals in our dreams, but we forget that almost always we are ourselves animals therein, deprived of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-say-that-we-often-see-animals-in-our-dreams-but-we-forget-that/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I don't believe people let things slide away. 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Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) ## More by Mervyn Peake > [Gormenghast, that is, the main massing of the original stone, taken by itself would have displayed a certain ponderous architectural quality were it possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/gormenghast-that-is-the-main-massing-of-the-original-stone-taken-by/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [Through her, in microcosm, the wide earth sobbed. The starglobe sank in her; the colours faded. 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"I want a lot to eat, I'm going to think today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/i-want-a-big-breakfast-said-fuchsia-at-last-i-want-a-lot-to-eat-i-m/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [“Before it had awoke to die on the instant of its waking, a score of bells and clocks had shouted midday and for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/before-it-had-awoke-to-die-on-the-instant-of-its-waking-a-score-of/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [“Gormenghast. Withdrawn and ruinous it broods in umbra: the immemorial masonry: the towers, the tracts. Is all corroding? 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