---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The world seems almost physically wider…"
description: "\"“The world seems almost physically wider when up to just now the right-hand side was always obscured by the proximity of someone else; and all of a sud..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/robert-musil-2009_stand-astonished_the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider_833588.jpg"
---

#  The world seems almost physically wider when up to just…

![“The world seems almost physically wider when up to just now the right-hand side was always obscured by the proximity of someone else; and all of a sudden you stand there, astonished, in a wide semi-circle: alone.” quote by Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/robert-musil-2009_stand-astonished_the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider_833588.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/robert-musil-2009_stand-astonished_the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider_833588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/robert-musil-2009_stand-astonished_the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider_833588.jpg)

> ““The world seems almost physically wider when up to just now the right-hand side was always obscured by the proximity of someone else; and all of a sudden you stand there, astonished, in a wide semi-circle: alone.””

[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 narrator experiences a sudden sense of personal space and independence when others no longer block his view.

**In simple terms:** Feeling alone can expand one's perception of the world.

Key Takeaway

Embrace solitude to gain clarity.

Themes

independence perception solitude

Mood

contemplative reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- crowded public places
- personal reflection
- creative work
- travel
- social gatherings

Key Concepts

existentialism self-awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- How does solitude change your view of surroundings?
- What benefits arise from stepping back?

A Different Perspective

Alone time can also bring loneliness or anxiety.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astonished Wide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonished-wide-580244/) [Obscured Proximity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscured-proximity-580246/) [Physically Wider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physically-wider-580245/) [Proximity Sudden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proximity-sudden-580247/) [Stand Astonished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-astonished-572461/)

## Related quotes

> [By God, Mr. Chairman, at this moment I stand astonished at my own modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-clive/by-god-mr-chairman-at-this-moment-i-stand-astonished-at-my-own-modesty/)

[Robert Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-clive/)

> [I stand astonished at my own moderation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-clive/i-stand-astonished-at-my-own-moderation/)

[Robert Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-clive/)

## More by Robert Musil

> [“Everything we feel and do is somehow oriented "lifeward," and the least deviation away from this direction toward something beyond is difficult or alarming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/everything-we-feel-and-do-is-somehow-oriented-lifeward-and-the-least/)

[Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/)

> [“He was in that familiar state - not that the occasion mattered to seriously to him -- of incoherent ideas spreading outward without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/he-was-in-that-familiar-state-not-that-the-occasion-mattered-to/)

[Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/)

> [It is life that does the thinking all around us, forming with playful ease the connections our reason can only laboriously patch together piecemeal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/it-is-life-that-does-the-thinking-all-around-us-forming-with-playful/)

[Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/)

> [“What is it you do, then? I'll tell you: You leave out whatever doesn't suit you. As the author himself has done before you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/what-is-it-you-do-then-i-ll-tell-you-you-leave-out-whatever-doesn-t/)

[Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/)

> [and while faith based on theological reasoning is today universally engaged in a bitter struggle with doubt and resistance from the prevailing brand of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/and-while-faith-based-on-theological-reasoning-is-today-universally/)

[Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/)

> [What is the use of good painting? We want a spell cast upon the optical part of our existence! 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 Stand Astonished quotes

> [By God, Mr. Chairman, at this moment I stand astonished at my own modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-clive/by-god-mr-chairman-at-this-moment-i-stand-astonished-at-my-own-modesty/)

[Robert Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-clive/)

> [I stand astonished at my own moderation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-clive/i-stand-astonished-at-my-own-moderation/)

[Robert Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-clive/)

[Browse all 3 Stand Astonished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-astonished-572461/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The world seems almost physically wider when up to just now the right-hand side was always obscured by the proximity of someone else; and all of a sudden you stand there, astonished, in a wide semi-circle: alone.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Musil"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider-when-up-to-just-now-the-right/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Stand Astonished"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider-when-up-to-just-now-the-right/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/robert-musil-2009_stand-astonished_the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider_833588.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/robert-musil-2009_stand-astonished_the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider_833588.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62a/robert-musil-2009_stand-astonished_the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider_833588.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The world seems almost physically wider when up to just now the right-hand side was always obscured by the…” — Robert Musil",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Robert Musil",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The world seems almost physically wider...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider-when-up-to-just-now-the-right/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/the-world-seems-almost-physically-wider-when-up-to-just-now-the-right/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
