Certainty Quote by Muriel Barbery
“This pause in time, within time ... When did I first experience the exquisite sense of surrender that is only possible with another person? The peace of mind one experiences on one's own, one's certainty of self in the serenity of solitude, are nothing in comparison to the release and openness and fluency one shares with another, in close companionship ...”
About This Quote
Source Novel: “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery, 2006
True intimacy surpasses solitary peace; sharing openness with another brings a deeper, unique surrender.
In simple terms: Companionship offers a deeper surrender than solitude.
Key Takeaway
Seek deep, authentic connections.
Themes
connection
intimacy
solitude
Mood
contemplative
intimate
philosophical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- Friendship
- romantic partnership
- therapy sessions
Key Concepts
Existential
psychological
Questions to Reflect On
- What does surrender mean to you in relationships?
- How can you balance solitude and intimacy?
A Different Perspective
May risk losing self‑identity.
![“We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. [...] By its very nature every embodied spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude. Sensations, feelings, insights, fancies - all these are private and, except through symbols and…” quote by Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/db9/aldous-huxley-97_circumstances_we-live-together-we-act-on-and-react-to_3061245.jpg)
![“[I]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics, in so far as disposed through it we are able to reach certainty in other sciences and truth by the exclusion of error.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/roger-bacon-15067_able_i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-a_24209.jpg)