--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All the tragedies which we can imagine…" description: "\"All the tragedies which we can imagine return in the end to the one and only tragedy: the passage of time.\" — Simone Weil" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/simone-weil-544_ends_all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-r_1707864.jpg" --- # All the tragedies which we can imagine return in the end… ![“All the tragedies which we can imagine return in the end to the one and only tragedy: the passage of time.” quote by Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/simone-weil-544_ends_all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-r_1707864.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/simone-weil-544_ends_all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-r_1707864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/simone-weil-544_ends_all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-r_1707864.jpg) > “All the tragedies which we can imagine return in the end to the one and only tragedy: the passage of time.” [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. All tragedies ultimately stem from the inevitable passage of time, which is the greatest sorrow. **In simple terms:** Time causes all tragedy. Key Takeaway Accept time's inevitability. Themes mortality time tragedy Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - grieving loss - aging - historical change Key Concepts impermanence existentialism philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of time shape actions? A Different Perspective philosophical;what can we do to find meaning? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Passage of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passage-of-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tragedies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedies/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) ## Related quotes > [Time brings an end to everything. We should not mistake for a tragedy what is no more than the passage of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/time-brings-an-end-to-everything-we-should-not-mistake-for-a-tragedy/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Marriage, children-you never expect it to end in tragedy. Unless you're me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/marriage-children-you-never-expect-it-to-end-in-tragedy-unless-you-re/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“Only in drama does it end with the tragedy; in life it grinds on. Moanday, tearsday, happy days, right through to Shatterdays. And Again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayla-reid/only-in-drama-does-it-end-with-the-tragedy-in-life-it-grinds-on/) Gayla Reid > [The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the-passions/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“There has to be some way this won’t end in tragedy. Why can’t Romeo and Juliet live happily ever after? It’s as if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-thomas/there-has-to-be-some-way-this-won-t-end-in-tragedy-why-can-t-romeo/) [Kitty Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-thomas/) > [In the end, the tragedy of Harold Wilson was that you couldn't believe a word he said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/in-the-end-the-tragedy-of-harold-wilson-was-that-you-couldn-t-believe/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [All romances end in tragedy. One of the key people in a romance becomes a monster sooner or later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/all-romances-end-in-tragedy-one-of-the-key-people-in-a-romance/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [“Emotions that are forced always end in tragedy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/emotions-that-are-forced-always-end-in-tragedy/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“I'd never hated myself more than at that moment. But it was for the best, because a love between us would only end in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-d-never-hated-myself-more-than-at-that-moment-but-it-was-for-the/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [My mother had no end of tragedy in her life. She would make herself get up and take a deep breath and go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/my-mother-had-no-end-of-tragedy-in-her-life-she-would-make-herself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I loved reading historical novels when I was young, but I definitely don't think I wrote one. When I read my book through, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-dutton/i-loved-reading-historical-novels-when-i-was-young-but-i-definitely/) [Danielle Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-dutton/) > [I knew it was happening, but I never paid much attention to it . . . just to the passage of time. Something new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-knew-it-was-happening-but-i-never-paid-much-attention-to-it-just-to/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Natural disasters in Bolivia have been getting worse with the passage of time. It's brought about by a system: the capitalist system, the unbridled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/natural-disasters-in-bolivia-have-been-getting-worse-with-the-passage/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [We store in memory only images of value. The value may be lost over the passage of time, but that's the implacable judgment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hampl/we-store-in-memory-only-images-of-value-the-value-may-be-lost-over/) [Patricia Hampl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hampl/) > [With the passage of time, as well as the social evolution and genetic exchange, we ended up putting our conscience in the color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/with-the-passage-of-time-as-well-as-the-social-evolution-and-genetic/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## More by Simone Weil > [Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/oppression-that-is-clearly-inexorable-and-invincible-does-not-give/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [One should identify oneself with the universe itself. Everything that is less than the universe is subjected to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/one-should-identify-oneself-with-the-universe-itself-everything-that/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/what-a-country-calls-its-vital-economic-interests-are-not-the-things/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The intelligent man who is proud of his intelligence is like the condemned man who is proud of his large cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-intelligent-man-who-is-proud-of-his-intelligence-is-like-the/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The highest ecstasy is the attention at its fullest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-highest-ecstasy-is-the-attention-at-its-fullest/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [To be innocent is to bear the weight of the entire universe. It is to throw away the counterweight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/to-be-innocent-is-to-bear-the-weight-of-the-entire-universe-it-is-to/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Equality is the public recognition, effectively expressed in institutions and manners, of the principle that an equal degree of attention is due to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/equality-is-the-public-recognition-effectively-expressed-in/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The entire universe is nothing but a great metaphor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-entire-universe-is-nothing-but-a-great-metaphor/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [A beautiful woman looking at her image in the mirror may very well believe the image is herself. An ugly woman knows it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-beautiful-woman-looking-at-her-image-in-the-mirror-may-very-well/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Only he who has measured the dominion of force, and knows how not to respect it, is capable of love andjustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/only-he-who-has-measured-the-dominion-of-force-and-knows-how-not-to/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Every time that I think of the crucifixion of Christ, I commit the sin of envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/every-time-that-i-think-of-the-crucifixion-of-christ-i-commit-the-sin/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [A Pharisee is someone who is virtuous out of obedience to the Great Beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-pharisee-is-someone-who-is-virtuous-out-of-obedience-to-the-great/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Joy is being fully aware of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/joy-is-being-fully-aware-of-reality/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) [Explore all 443 Simone Weil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## More Ends quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Believe to the end, even if all men went astray and you were left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/believe-to-the-end-even-if-all-men-went-astray-and-you-were-left-the/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) Browse all 20,790 Ends quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All the tragedies which we can imagine return in the end to the one and only tragedy: the passage of time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Simone Weil" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-return-in-the-end-to-the-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ends" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-return-in-the-end-to-the-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/simone-weil-544_ends_all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-r_1707864.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/simone-weil-544_ends_all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-r_1707864.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ece/simone-weil-544_ends_all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-r_1707864.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All the tragedies which we can imagine return in the end to the one and only tragedy: the passage of time.” — Simone Weil", "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": "Simone Weil", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All the tragedies which we can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-return-in-the-end-to-the-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-return-in-the-end-to-the-one/#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 } } ] } ```