Profane Quote by Thomas Pynchon
““Profane had got into this way of thinking, and along with parties in the daytime and a rotating shift system devised by Bung the foreman whereby you didn’t know till the day before which hours you would be working the next, it put him on a weird calendar which was not ruled off into neat squares at all but more a mosaic of tilted street-surfaces that changed position according to sunlight, streetlight, moonlight, nightlight… He wasn’t comfortable in this street. The people mobbing the pavement between the stalls seemed no more logical than the objects in his dream. “They don’t have faces,” he said to Angel.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Gravity's Rainbow, 1973
A character feels disoriented by chaotic, shifting work schedules and surreal surroundings, reflecting modern alienation.
In simple terms: He feels lost in a confusing, ever‑changing world.
Key Takeaway
Adapt to uncertainty with flexibility.
Themes
alienation
modernity
workplace
surrealism
Mood
disoriented
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- night shift work
- urban commuting
- creative brainstorming
- stress management
Key Concepts
postmodernism
temporal dislocation
identity crisis
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you find stability in unpredictable environments?
- What anchors you when reality feels fragmented?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overstate personal agency in systemic chaos.
