---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An absence of meaning opens a gap in time."
description: "\"An absence of meaning opens a gap in time.\" — Michel de Certeau"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/michel-de-certeau-15812_absence_an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-tim_2132482.png"
---

#  An absence of meaning opens a gap in time.

![“An absence of meaning opens a gap in time.” quote by Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/michel-de-certeau-15812_absence_an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-tim_2132482.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/michel-de-certeau-15812_absence_an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-tim_2132482.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/michel-de-certeau-15812_absence_an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-tim_2132482.png)

> “An absence of meaning opens a gap in time.”

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A lack of meaning creates a void that feels like a temporal gap, making life seem empty.

**In simple terms:** Missing meaning leaves a time void.

Key Takeaway

Seek purpose to fill existential emptiness.

Themes

meaning time existence

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical existential

When to use this quote

- daily routine
- career planning
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What gives your life meaning?
- How do you cope with moments of emptiness?

A Different Perspective

Meaning alone may not resolve practical challenges.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Absence Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence-meaning-971186/) [Gap Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gap-time-4401294/) [Gaps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaps/) [Opens Gap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opens-gap-4401293/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“It's only a game if there is an absence of meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn-david-levithan/it-s-only-a-game-if-there-is-an-absence-of-meaning/)

[Rachel Cohn David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn-david-levithan/)

> [Part of the reason why some of the relationships I've had in my past worked for so long is because when you're making movies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/part-of-the-reason-why-some-of-the-relationships-i-ve-had-in-my-past/)

[Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/)

> [“Culture primarily witnesses the absence of meaning, not it's presence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcfarland/culture-primarily-witnesses-the-absence-of-meaning-not-it-s-presence/)

[Thomas McFarland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcfarland/)

> [He knows that after him everything will continue on much as before, except that there will be a minuscule absence, a barely detective gap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/he-knows-that-after-him-everything-will-continue-on-much-as-before/)

[John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/)

> [I grew up in a whaling town. We didn't stop whaling in Australia until 1978. And I've always lived in fishing communities. You could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/i-grew-up-in-a-whaling-town-we-didn-t-stop-whaling-in-australia-until/)

[Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/)

> [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Whether you face reality head on and make a life change, or deny your responsibility, you've made a choice. The way I see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-phillips/whether-you-face-reality-head-on-and-make-a-life-change-or-deny-your/)

[Shawn Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-phillips/)

> [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [You build the bonds through the community and police force, build bonds of understanding, and then when people feel comfortable in their communities, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/you-build-the-bonds-through-the-community-and-police-force-build/)

[Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/)

> [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/)

[Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/)

> [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/)

[Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/)

> [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/)

[Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/)

> [I honestly don't like Photoshop. I think when people Photoshop things, all of a sudden you're like, 'That's not even me anymore.' It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-aldridge/i-honestly-don-t-like-photoshop-i-think-when-people-photoshop-things/)

[Lily Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-aldridge/)

> [No matter how strong the storm, how hard the rain and how vicious the wind there is always a gap in the clouds for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-greenhalgh/no-matter-how-strong-the-storm-how-hard-the-rain-and-how-vicious-the/)

[Ben Greenhalgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-greenhalgh/)

> [“A word is not filling in the gaps, but the fertilization of silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/a-word-is-not-filling-in-the-gaps-but-the-fertilization-of-silence/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

## More by Michel de Certeau

> [“Far from being writers—founders of their own place, heirs of the peasants of earlier ages now working on the soil of language, diggers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/far-from-being-writers-founders-of-their-own-place-heirs-of-the/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [Everyday life invents itself by poaching in countless ways on the property of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/everyday-life-invents-itself-by-poaching-in-countless-ways-on-the/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [The sick man is taken away by the institution that takes charge not of the individual, but of his illness, an isolated object transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-sick-man-is-taken-away-by-the-institution-that-takes-charge-not/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [ “His \[the pedestrian's\] elevation transfigures him into a voyeur. It puts his at a distance. It transforms the bewitching world by which one was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/his-the-pedestrian-s-elevation-transfigures-him-into-a-voyeur-it-puts/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [To walk is to lack a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/to-walk-is-to-lack-a-place/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [First, if it is true that a spatial order organizes an ensemble of possibilities (e.g., by a place in which one can move) and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/first-if-it-is-true-that-a-spatial-order-organizes-an-ensemble-of/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [A place (lieu) is the order (of whatever kind) in accord with which elements are distributed in relationships of coexistence. It thus excludes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/a-place-lieu-is-the-order-of-whatever-kind-in-accord-with-which/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [“I lettori sono viaggiatori: circolano sulle terre altrui.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/i-lettori-sono-viaggiatori-circolano-sulle-terre-altrui/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [When he grew old, Aristotle, who is not generally considered a tightrope dancer, liked to lose himself in the most labyrinthine and subtle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/when-he-grew-old-aristotle-who-is-not-generally-considered-a/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [“Their story begins on ground level, with footsteps. They are myriad, but do not compose a series. They cannot be counted because each unit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/their-story-begins-on-ground-level-with-footsteps-they-are-myriad-but/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [“Finally, the functionalist organization, by privileging progress (i.e. time), causes the condition of its own possibility--space itself--to be forgotten: space thus becomes the blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/finally-the-functionalist-organization-by-privileging-progress-i-e/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [One is a socialist because one used to be one, no longer going to demonstrations, attending meetings, sending in one's dues, in short, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/one-is-a-socialist-because-one-used-to-be-one-no-longer-going-to/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [The panorama-city is a 'theoretical' (that is, visual) simulacrum, in short a picture, whose condition of possibility is an oblivion and a misunderstanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-panorama-city-is-a-theoretical-that-is-visual-simulacrum-in-short/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [Along with the lazy man... the dying man is the immoral man: the former, a subject that does not work; the latter, an object…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/along-with-the-lazy-man-the-dying-man-is-the-immoral-man-the-former-a/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

> [ It is as though the practices organizing a bustling city were characterized by \[city practitioners', everyday citizens'\] blindness. The neworks of these moving, intersecting… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/it-is-as-though-the-practices-organizing-a-bustling-city-were/)

[Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

[Explore all 42 Michel de Certeau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/)

## More Absence quotes

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/)

[William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/)

[Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/)

> [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/)

[Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/)

> [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/)

[B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/)

[Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "An absence of meaning opens a gap in time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michel de Certeau"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-time/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-time/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/michel-de-certeau-15812_absence_an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-tim_2132482.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/michel-de-certeau-15812_absence_an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-tim_2132482.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/michel-de-certeau-15812_absence_an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-tim_2132482.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An absence of meaning opens a gap in time.” — Michel de Certeau",
                "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": "Michel de Certeau",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "An absence of meaning opens a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-time/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/an-absence-of-meaning-opens-a-gap-in-time/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
