--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am writing all this down in full…" description: "\"“I am writing all this down in full knowledge that it will not now seem important, for the reason that that is just what marks off that past from our p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/rebecca-west-1248_life_i-am-writing-all-this-down-in-full-knowl_986441.jpg" --- # I am writing all this down in full knowledge that it will… ![“I am writing all this down in full knowledge that it will not now seem important, for the reason that that is just what marks off that past from our present. Everything was then of importance. Everything enjoyable had an equal value. In life we were not divided. Life itself was not divided.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/rebecca-west-1248_life_i-am-writing-all-this-down-in-full-knowl_986441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/rebecca-west-1248_life_i-am-writing-all-this-down-in-full-knowl_986441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/rebecca-west-1248_life_i-am-writing-all-this-down-in-full-knowl_986441.jpg) > ““I am writing all this down in full knowledge that it will not now seem important, for the reason that that is just what marks off that past from our present. Everything was then of importance. Everything enjoyable had an equal value. In life we were not divided. Life itself was not divided.”” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how past experiences lose their significance as time passes, merging into a unified present where past distinctions fade. **In simple terms:** Past importance fades over time, merging into present. Key Takeaway Recognize how perspective changes with time. Themes memory time perspective nostalgia subjectivity Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reflecting on personal history - writing memoirs - teaching history - psychotherapy sessions - creative writing Key Concepts philosophy psychology temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How does time alter the meaning of past events? - What role does memory play in shaping identity? A Different Perspective It may overlook the value of preserving detailed memories for future insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Divided Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided-life-1991596/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Importance Enjoyable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance-enjoyable-1991595/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-divided-292951/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Present Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-importance-1063973/) ## Related quotes > [The past is of no importance. The present is of no importance. It is with the future that we have to deal. 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For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/the-past-is-of-no-importance-the-present-is-of-no-importance-it-is-2/) [Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/) > [I do live a weirdly divided life, because I'm not a Hollywood superstar, I don't live on Malibu Beach, I don't do massive 'OK!'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-purefoy/i-do-live-a-weirdly-divided-life-because-i-m-not-a-hollywood/) [James Purefoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-purefoy/) > [I have never thought of my life as divided between poetry and politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/i-have-never-thought-of-my-life-as-divided-between-poetry-and-politics/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“Life can’t be divided into chapters...only minutes. The events of your life are all crammed together one minute right after the other without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/life-can-t-be-divided-into-chapters-only-minutes-the-events-of-your/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“Life is divided up into phases,” he said. “Each one is very different from the others, and you have to be able to recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/life-is-divided-up-into-phases-he-said-each-one-is-very-different/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [I feel that life is divided into the horrible and the miserable. That's the two categories. The horrible are like, I don't know, terminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-feel-that-life-is-divided-into-the-horrible-and-the-miserable-that/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“Well, a man’s life is divided into two parts: there is his work and there is his own private life. Two small worlds which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-macinnes/well-a-man-s-life-is-divided-into-two-parts-there-is-his-work-and/) [Helen MacInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-macinnes/) > [And so for a couple of years my life was divided between my music and my school books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/and-so-for-a-couple-of-years-my-life-was-divided-between-my-music-and/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [We, all who live, have A life that is lived And another life that is thought, And the only life we have It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/we-all-who-live-have-a-life-that-is-lived-and-another-life-that-is/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [My life, at least, is divided between writing and performing and mixtures of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/my-life-at-least-is-divided-between-writing-and-performing-and/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“My life is now divided into two periods: With June and After June. I can't wrap my mind around the idea of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-harrington/my-life-is-now-divided-into-two-periods-with-june-and-after-june-i/) [Hannah Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-harrington/) > [Here is an eternal truth. Life cannot be divided into compartments in some which God is involved and in others of which he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/here-is-an-eternal-truth-life-cannot-be-divided-into-compartments-in/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [I think of my life as divided between a lot of different periods. I grew up in the country, but as I got older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-krakoff/i-think-of-my-life-as-divided-between-a-lot-of-different-periods-i/) [Reed Krakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-krakoff/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Importance quotes > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We never realize the importance of any our action until we be the hunt of same situation in reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fadi/we-never-realize-the-importance-of-any-our-action-until-we-be-the/) [Fadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fadi/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [To give importance to trifling matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heywood/to-give-importance-to-trifling-matters/) [John Heywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heywood/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [Love of books is the best of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-kennedy/love-of-books-is-the-best-of-all/) [Jackie Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-kennedy/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Don't minimize the importance of luck in determining life's course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/don-t-minimize-the-importance-of-luck-in-determining-life-s-course/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. 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