--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was the tenderness mingled with…" description: "\"It was the tenderness mingled with melancholy which we bring to a time that belongs irrevocably to the past, when a pale, delicate shadow rises from it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/robert-musil-2009_delicate_it-was-the-tenderness-mingled-with-melan_1712401.jpg" --- # It was the tenderness mingled with melancholy which we… ![“It was the tenderness mingled with melancholy which we bring to a time that belongs irrevocably to the past, when a pale, delicate shadow rises from it bearing the lilies of the dead, and in it we find a forgotten likeness to ourselves. And that faint, wistful shadow, that pale scent, seemed to…” quote by Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/robert-musil-2009_delicate_it-was-the-tenderness-mingled-with-melan_1712401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/robert-musil-2009_delicate_it-was-the-tenderness-mingled-with-melan_1712401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/robert-musil-2009_delicate_it-was-the-tenderness-mingled-with-melan_1712401.jpg) > “It was the tenderness mingled with melancholy which we bring to a time that belongs irrevocably to the past, when a pale, delicate shadow rises from it bearing the lilies of the dead, and in it we find a forgotten likeness to ourselves. And that faint, wistful shadow, that pale scent, seemed to vanish away into a wide, full, warm stream - the life that now lay open before him.” [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage contemplates how past tenderness and melancholy shape present perception, revealing a lingering self‑reflection. **In simple terms:** Past emotions influence present self‑understanding. Key Takeaway Reflect on past feelings. Themes memory melancholy self‑reflection Mood thoughtful poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - artistic analysis - writing inspiration Key Concepts philosophical introspection temporal awareness Questions to Reflect On - How does nostalgia affect current identity? - What role does melancholy play in creativity? A Different Perspective May be overly abstract for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicate/) [Delicate Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicate-shadow-1260321/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Lilies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lilies/) [Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy/) [Mingled Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mingled-melancholy-1260319/) [Pale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pale/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Scent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scent/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Streams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streams/) [Tenderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenderness/) [Tenderness Mingled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenderness-mingled-1260318/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wistful Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wistful-shadow-1260320/) ## Related quotes > [I have sat here happy in the gardens, Watching the still pool and the reeds And the dark clouds. . . . 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We seldom really see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/what-is-the-use-of-good-painting-we-want-a-spell-cast-upon-the/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [That the will of the people can be established by voting for democrats is, of course, a delusion. Yet when considering a non-threatening system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/that-the-will-of-the-people-can-be-established-by-voting-for/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“Ein Mann, der die Wahrheit will, wird Gelehrter; ein Mann, der seine Subjektivität spielen lassen will, wird vielleicht Schriftsteller; was aber soll ein Mann…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/ein-mann-der-die-wahrheit-will-wird-gelehrter-ein-mann-der-seine/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“For a long time now a hint of aversion had lain on everything he did and experienced, a shadow of impotence and loneliness, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/for-a-long-time-now-a-hint-of-aversion-had-lain-on-everything-he-did/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“All the knowledge that has led our species from wearing animal skins to people flying, complete with proofs, would fill a handful of reference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/all-the-knowledge-that-has-led-our-species-from-wearing-animal-skins/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [I also believe that few people remain completely untouched by the thought that instead of the life they lead there might also be another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/i-also-believe-that-few-people-remain-completely-untouched-by-the/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“His appearance gives no clue to what his profession might be, and yet he doesn't look like a man without a profession either. Consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/his-appearance-gives-no-clue-to-what-his-profession-might-be-and-yet/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [Philosophers are people who do violence, but have no army at their disposal, and so subjugate the world by locking it into a system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/philosophers-are-people-who-do-violence-but-have-no-army-at-their/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“The drive of his own nature to keep developing prevents him from believing that anything is final and complete, yet everything he encounters behaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/the-drive-of-his-own-nature-to-keep-developing-prevents-him-from/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [“And so the mind or spirit is the great opportunist, itself impossible to pin down, take hold of, anywhere; one is tempted to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/and-so-the-mind-or-spirit-is-the-great-opportunist-itself-impossible/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) [Explore all 139 Robert Musil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) ## More Delicate quotes > [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [The line between being a nurturing parent and an over-bearing, damaging parent is one that's very delicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-wright/the-line-between-being-a-nurturing-parent-and-an-over-bearing/) [Jeffrey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-wright/) > [Tachyon OPC+ is a natural extension of our market-winning Tachyon platform, giving customers a clear path to minimizing the OPC error budget and producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/tachyon-opc-is-a-natural-extension-of-our-market-winning-tachyon/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [Ruin, eldest daughter of Zeus, she blinds us all, that fatal madness—she with those delicate feet of hers, never touching the earth, gliding over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/ruin-eldest-daughter-of-zeus-she-blinds-us-all-that-fatal-madness-she/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I hope the day will come when a wasp-waist and a pair of thin shoulders will not be esteemed beauty: we have had our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/i-hope-the-day-will-come-when-a-wasp-waist-and-a-pair-of-thin/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) > [Many persons have been confused and discouraged at the very outset of the study by the great variety and the delicate distinctions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-staunton/many-persons-have-been-confused-and-discouraged-at-the-very-outset-of/) [Howard Staunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-staunton/) > [To joke in the face of danger is the supreme politeness, a delicate refusal to cast oneself as a tragic hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/to-joke-in-the-face-of-danger-is-the-supreme-politeness-a-delicate/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. 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Is there more?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-most-delicate-fiend-who-is-t-can-read-a-woman-is-there-more/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 924 Delicate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was the tenderness mingled with melancholy which we bring to a time that belongs irrevocably to the past, when a pale, delicate shadow rises from it bearing the lilies of the dead, and in it we find a forgotten likeness to ourselves. 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