--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Virtually drowning in himself, he could…" description: "\"“Virtually drowning in himself, he could not for the life of him smell himself.”\" — Patrick Süskind" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/patrick-s-skind-5195_drown_virtually-drowning-in-himself-he-could-n_985440.png" --- # Virtually drowning in himself, he could not for the life… ![“Virtually drowning in himself, he could not for the life of him smell himself.” quote by Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/patrick-s-skind-5195_drown_virtually-drowning-in-himself-he-could-n_985440.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/patrick-s-skind-5195_drown_virtually-drowning-in-himself-he-could-n_985440.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/patrick-s-skind-5195_drown_virtually-drowning-in-himself-he-could-n_985440.png) > ““Virtually drowning in himself, he could not for the life of him smell himself.”” [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He is so consumed by his inner turmoil that he cannot even perceive his own existence. **In simple terms:** He is lost in himself, unable to recognize his own presence. Key Takeaway Recognize when self‑absorption blinds self‑awareness. Themes self‑absorption identity existential crisis Mood melancholic introspective Type literary character study When to use this quote - personal reflection - therapy - creative writing - character analysis Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑obsession affect perception? - What steps can break this cycle? A Different Perspective His introspection may prevent him from acting on external realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drown/) [Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning/) [Drowning Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning-life-397671/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-smell-1276478/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Virtually Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtually-drowning-1982897/) ## Related quotes > [“And the awful thing was that Grenouille, although he knew that this odour was his odour, could not smell it. 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You must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easy-to-love-people-when-they-smell-good-but-sometimes-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you learn to not dislike all music then life's soundtrack will always be nice, if you learn to respect the purpose of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-keough/if-you-learn-to-not-dislike-all-music-then-life-s-soundtrack-will/) [Don Keough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-keough/) > [When yu feel like you're drowning in life,dont worry you life guard walks on water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-yu-feel-like-you-re-drowning-in-life-dont-worry-you-life-guard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nobody wanted your dance, Nobody wanted your strange glitter, your floundering Drowning life and your effort to save yourself, Treading water, dancing the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/nobody-wanted-your-dance-nobody-wanted-your-strange-glitter-your/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“He took her face in his hands and claimed her mouth with his. 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If you feel sorry for yourself, and you let yourself go down, you will drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/you-don-t-get-there-the-easy-way-if-you-feel-sorry-for-yourself-and/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they're going under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/there-are-many-ways-to-drown-only-the-most-obvious-wave-their-arms-as/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [“You don't drown by falling in the water, you drowned by staying there”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-louis-cole/you-don-t-drown-by-falling-in-the-water-you-drowned-by-staying-there/) [Edwin Louis Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-louis-cole/) ## More by Patrick Süskind > [“He had no use for sensual gratification, unless that gratification consisted of pure, incorporeal odors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/he-had-no-use-for-sensual-gratification-unless-that-gratification/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“...if you could not close a door behind you to take a shit in the city - even if it was just the door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/if-you-could-not-close-a-door-behind-you-to-take-a-shit-in-the-city/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [With one glance he had got himself trapped in the brown fundament of her eyes, he was in danger of sinking, as if into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/with-one-glance-he-had-got-himself-trapped-in-the-brown-fundament-of/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“…in that moment, as he saw and smelled how irresistible its effect was and how with lightning speed it spread and made captives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/in-that-moment-as-he-saw-and-smelled-how-irresistible-its-effect-was/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“People even travelled to Lapland, up there in the North, with its eternal ice and savages who gorged themselves on raw fish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/people-even-travelled-to-lapland-up-there-in-the-north-with-its/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [When they finally did dare it, at first with stolen glances and then candid ones, they had to smile. 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And even if he himself was doing nothing, it was happening through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/something-was-happening-while-you-waited-the-most-essential-thing-was/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“Although he had used it very sparingly, the perfume that he had mixed in Montpellier was slowly was slowly running out. He created a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/although-he-had-used-it-very-sparingly-the-perfume-that-he-had-mixed/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [He had withdrawn solely for his own personal pleasure, only to be near to himself. No longer distracted by anything external, he basked in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/he-had-withdrawn-solely-for-his-own-personal-pleasure-only-to-be-near/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“This scent had a freshness, but not the freshness of limes or pomegranates, not the freshness of myrrh or cinnamon bark or curly mint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/this-scent-had-a-freshness-but-not-the-freshness-of-limes-or/) [Patrick Suskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [And because people are stupid and use their noses only for blowing, but believe absolutely anything they see with their eyes, they will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/and-because-people-are-stupid-and-use-their-noses-only-for-blowing/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [It was good, really, that this external world still existed, if only as a place of refuge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/it-was-good-really-that-this-external-world-still-existed-if-only-as/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“And the awful thing was that Grenouille, although he knew that this odour was his odour, could not smell it. Virtually drowning in himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/and-the-awful-thing-was-that-grenouille-although-he-knew-that-this/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) [Explore all 72 Patrick Süskind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) ## More Drown quotes > [He tried to drown his troubles but they knew how to swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/he-tried-to-drown-his-troubles-but-they-knew-how-to-swim/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [“Let me love you, girl who came from the sea. 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He looks up and gives the world's smallest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/it-s-not-just-like-that-i-can-t-just-swim-away-why-not-i-m-afraid-i/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) > [There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they're going under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/there-are-many-ways-to-drown-only-the-most-obvious-wave-their-arms-as/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [Drink today, and drown all sorrow; you shall perhaps not do tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fletcher/drink-today-and-drown-all-sorrow-you-shall-perhaps-not-do-tomorrow/) [John Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fletcher/) > [You don't get there the easy way. If you feel sorry for yourself, and you let yourself go down, you will drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/you-don-t-get-there-the-easy-way-if-you-feel-sorry-for-yourself-and/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [Once you get into this great stream of history you can't get out. You can drown. Or you can be pulled ashore by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/once-you-get-into-this-great-stream-of-history-you-can-t-get-out-you/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“You're back where you swore yourself you wouldn't be The familiar shackles you can't tell from your own skin Your head's under water when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/you-re-back-where-you-swore-yourself-you-wouldn-t-be-the-familiar/) [Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/) > [“If I fall in, I’m going to drown. The weights upon me are too heavy to stay afloat. My only option is to sink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/if-i-fall-in-i-m-going-to-drown-the-weights-upon-me-are-too-heavy-to/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [I lead horses to water and if they don't drink, then I drown them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-brown/i-lead-horses-to-water-and-if-they-don-t-drink-then-i-drown-them/) [Mike Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-brown/) > [There is more than one good way to drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/there-is-more-than-one-good-way-to-drown/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“He couldn't remember the last time human hands had willingly touched him. Not true. Miranda had. 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