Driving force Quote by Nicolas Bouvier
““That day, I thought that I held something important and that my life would be changed. But nothing of this nature is acquired definitively. Like water, the world traverses you, and for a while, lends you its colours. It then draws back, leaving you once again to face the emptiness that one carries in oneself, to face that central insufficiency of the spirit that one must learn to live with, to fight, and which, paradoxically, is possibly our surest driving force.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Way of the World by Nicolas Bouvier, 1974
Life’s meaning is fleeting; we temporarily adopt colors from the world, then confront inner emptiness and learn to live with it, which fuels our drive.
In simple terms: We borrow the world’s colors, then face inner emptiness, which drives us.
Key Takeaway
Embrace emptiness as a catalyst for growth.
Themes
existential
spirituality
self‑discovery
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- creative work
- spiritual practice
- grief processing
Key Concepts
impermanence
inner void
motivation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance acceptance of emptiness with daily obligations?
- What colors from the world help you feel whole?
A Different Perspective
The quote may romanticize emptiness, overlooking practical responsibilities.
![“Beyond a certain degree of hardship or misery, life often revives and heals the scars. As time passed, deportation [to the concentration camps for the young woman] had become a kind of voyage and even, thanks to the almost terrifying capacity of memory to transform horror into courage, a voyage…” quote by Nicolas Bouvier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/023/nicolas-bouvier-40384_concentration-camp_beyond-a-certain-degree-of-hardship-or-m_840228.jpg)
