--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have finally concluded, maybe that's…" description: "\"“I have finally concluded, maybe that's what life is about: there's a lot of despair, but also the odd moment of beauty, where time is no longer the sa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/muriel-barbery-1092_beauty_i-have-finally-concluded-maybe-that-s-wh_1167270.jpg" --- # I have finally concluded, maybe that's what life is about… ![“I have finally concluded, maybe that's what life is about: there's a lot of despair, but also the odd moment of beauty, where time is no longer the same. It's as if those strains of music created a sort of interlude in time, something suspended, an elsewhere that had come to us, an always within…” quote by Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/muriel-barbery-1092_beauty_i-have-finally-concluded-maybe-that-s-wh_1167270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/muriel-barbery-1092_beauty_i-have-finally-concluded-maybe-that-s-wh_1167270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/muriel-barbery-1092_beauty_i-have-finally-concluded-maybe-that-s-wh_1167270.jpg) > ““I have finally concluded, maybe that's what life is about: there's a lot of despair, but also the odd moment of beauty, where time is no longer the same. It's as if those strains of music created a sort of interlude in time, something suspended, an elsewhere that had come to us, an always within never. Yes, that's it, an always within never .”” [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life mixes deep despair with fleeting beauty, creating moments that feel timeless and suspended. **In simple terms:** Life blends sorrow and beauty into timeless moments. Key Takeaway Seek and cherish those fleeting beautiful moments. Themes life beauty despair time transcendence Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - artistic inspiration - mindfulness practice - creative writing Key Concepts existentialism aesthetic experience temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - What small beauty can you notice amid hardship? - How does recognizing fleeting beauty change your perspective? A Different Perspective Beauty may be fleeting and not always accessible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Concluded Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concluded-maybe-3368261/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Interlude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interlude-317155/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Maybe Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [. . . maybe that's what life's all about: there's a lof of despair, but also the odd moments of beauty, where time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/maybe-that-s-what-life-s-all-about-there-s-a-lof-of-despair-but-also/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Even though I get a lot done with my solitude, and I make the best use of it possible, I always think solitude is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/even-though-i-get-a-lot-done-with-my-solitude-and-i-make-the-best-use/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“Our relationship had been intended as an interlude. And it had become an interlude. My expectations had been fulfilled. Anyone who expected anything more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-heller/our-relationship-had-been-intended-as-an-interlude-and-it-had-become/) [Eva Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-heller/) > [“The interlude before anything begins is always my favorite moment. So much unknown, but everything is already set up and we both know something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-pan/the-interlude-before-anything-begins-is-always-my-favorite-moment-so/) [Jessica Pan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-pan/) > [We come into the world alone. We go away the same. We're meant to spend the interlude between in closeness or so we tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-mckuen/we-come-into-the-world-alone-we-go-away-the-same-we-re-meant-to-spend/) [Rod McKuen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-mckuen/) > [“Let the reverberations of love Be heard as far as the horizon spans After all short is the interlude Of life’s caravans…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neelam-saxena-chandra/let-the-reverberations-of-love-be-heard-as-far-as-the-horizon-spans/) [Neelam Saxena Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neelam-saxena-chandra/) > [There might be a few things in a woman's life that a romantic interlude won't cure, but I don't know any of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/there-might-be-a-few-things-in-a-woman-s-life-that-a-romantic/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [I'm only lookin' for a fantasy, an interlude from reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/i-m-only-lookin-for-a-fantasy-an-interlude-from-reality/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [Conceptually, I've always gravitated towards arrangements that weren't just presenting one idea. I like to look at my songs as having a main part,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tycho/conceptually-i-ve-always-gravitated-towards-arrangements-that-weren-t/) [Tycho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tycho/) > [“A BRIEF INTERLUDE It’s been three years since I’ve spent the night with someone who liked me enough to get breakfast in the morning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trista-mateer/a-brief-interlude-it-s-been-three-years-since-i-ve-spent-the-night/) [Trista Mateer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trista-mateer/) > [I don't know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace an interlude during war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-clemenceau/i-don-t-know-whether-war-is-an-interlude-during-peace-or-peace-an/) [Georges Clemenceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-clemenceau/) > [When I wrote 'Paradise,' it was going to be an interlude - like a segue from the song before. Then I just added more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/when-i-wrote-paradise-it-was-going-to-be-an-interlude-like-a-segue/) [MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/) > [“Maybe it’s that life, at times, gets to you in a way that there’s really nothing more to say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-baricco/maybe-it-s-that-life-at-times-gets-to-you-in-a-way-that-there-s/) [Alessandro Baricco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-baricco/) > [“Life has a way of doing that; one minute everything makes sense, the next, things change. People get sick. Families break apart, your friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-murray/life-has-a-way-of-doing-that-one-minute-everything-makes-sense-the/) [Liz Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-murray/) > [“Maybe life is about learning a better goodbye. Learning to let go of the ones we love with nothing but love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jmstorm/maybe-life-is-about-learning-a-better-goodbye-learning-to-let-go-of/) [JmStorm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jmstorm/) ## More by Muriel Barbery > [“Those who can, do; those who can't, teach; those who can't teach, teach the teachers; and those who can't teach the teachers go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/those-who-can-do-those-who-can-t-teach-those-who-can-t-teach-teach/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [What is writing, no matter how lavish the pieces, if it says nothing of the truth, cares little for the heart, and is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/what-is-writing-no-matter-how-lavish-the-pieces-if-it-says-nothing-of/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Live or die: mere consequences of what you have built. What matters is building well. So here we are I've assigned myself a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/live-or-die-mere-consequences-of-what-you-have-built-what-matters-is/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“A terroir only exists by virtue of one's childhood mythology . . . we have invented these words of tradition rooted deep in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/a-terroir-only-exists-by-virtue-of-one-s-childhood-mythology-we-have/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“The tea ritual: such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accession to simple,authentic and refined sensations, a license given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/the-tea-ritual-such-a-precise-repetition-of-the-same-gestures-and-the/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [As always, I am saved by the inability of living creatures to believe anything that might cause the walls of their little mental assumptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/as-always-i-am-saved-by-the-inability-of-living-creatures-to-believe/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“I wonder if I am not turning into a contemplative . . . But those roses . They were something else. I was having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-wonder-if-i-am-not-turning-into-a-contemplative-but-those-roses/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one in our society to a dark and disillusioned life...to beauty all is forgiven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-be-poor-ugly-and-moreover-intelligent-condemns-one-in-our-society/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Beautiful things should belong to beautiful souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/beautiful-things-should-belong-to-beautiful-souls/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I know that they're all unhappy because nobody loves the right person the way they should and because they don't understand that it's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-know-that-they-re-all-unhappy-because-nobody-loves-the-right-person/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [We never look beyond our assumptions and what's worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-never-look-beyond-our-assumptions-and-what-s-worse-we-have-given/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“To rich people it must seem that the ordinary little people..experience human emotions with less intensity and greater indifference...The fact that we might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-rich-people-it-must-seem-that-the-ordinary-little-people/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I may know that the world is an ugly place, I still don't want to see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-may-know-that-the-world-is-an-ugly-place-i-still-don-t-want-to-see/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain Beauty. When you speak, or read, or write, you can tell if you’ve said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty-when-you/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) [Explore all 250 Muriel Barbery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. 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