--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the…" description: "\"“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the moments p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/toni-bentley-37728_ballet_afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-th_3988.jpg" --- # Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments… ![“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the moments passed all too fast. Life whizzed by; she no longer had time to recollect it. Her notebooks to this day retain the story of her desperate attempt to…” quote by Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/toni-bentley-37728_ballet_afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-th_3988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/toni-bentley-37728_ballet_afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-th_3988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/toni-bentley-37728_ballet_afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-th_3988.jpg) > ““Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the moments passed all too fast. Life whizzed by; she no longer had time to recollect it. Her notebooks to this day retain the story of her desperate attempt to hold together her self, her mind, her reason, her order, her morals.”” [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Memories endure while lived moments fade, prompting a struggle to preserve identity through documentation. **In simple terms:** Memory outlasts experience Key Takeaway Document to retain self Themes memory impermanence identity reflection mortality Mood melancholic contemplative Type philosophical narrative When to use this quote - journaling after trauma - reflecting on a fast‑paced life - preserving personal history Key Concepts nostalgia self-construction Practical Applications - therapeutic writing - legacy building Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to ‘hold together’ self? - How do memories shape identity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Recollect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recollect/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Every moment of your life is precious. You must make each passing moment stepping stone to move forward with a bang. Moments passed may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/every-moment-of-your-life-is-precious-you-must-make-each-passing/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [Some moments never b passed, Some feelings never b stolen, Some memories never b hidden, Some persons like u never b 4gotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/some-moments-never-b-passed-some-feelings-never-b-stolen-some/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“A few moments passed before he shrugged and said, “We can always start all over.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-orlowski-peart/a-few-moments-passed-before-he-shrugged-and-said-we-can-always-start/) [Angela Orlowski-Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-orlowski-peart/) > [I suspect the base that I'm working from is not particularly one of inquiry, but of memory of what I did last time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-suspect-the-base-that-i-m-working-from-is-not-particularly-one-of/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [What we leave behind in this life is the memory of who we were and what we did. An imprint, no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mosse/what-we-leave-behind-in-this-life-is-the-memory-of-who-we-were-and/) [Kate Mosse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mosse/) > [I hadn't performed or been in the public eye for about 16 years. When my husband passed away, I was obliged to go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-hadn-t-performed-or-been-in-the-public-eye-for-about-16-years-when/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I’ve committed every part of you to memory, did you know that? You’re so fucking beautiful that sometimes I can’t see straight. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-hawkes/i-ve-committed-every-part-of-you-to-memory-did-you-know-that-you-re/) [Cora Hawkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-hawkes/) > [“When I wiped you from the book of memory, I did not know I was striking out half my life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nizar-qabbani/when-i-wiped-you-from-the-book-of-memory-i-did-not-know-i-was/) [Nizar Qabbani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nizar-qabbani/) > [Memory is what you did. Life is what you're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deacon-jones/memory-is-what-you-did-life-is-what-you-re-doing/) [Deacon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deacon-jones/) > [It is easy to recollect the good things of life, the times when one's heart rejoices and expands, when everything is enfolded in kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/it-is-easy-to-recollect-the-good-things-of-life-the-times-when-one-s/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [“How is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/how-is-it-that-our-memory-is-good-enough-to-retain-the-least/) [Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“How comes it that our memories are good enough to retain even the minutest details of what has befallen us, but not to recollect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/how-comes-it-that-our-memories-are-good-enough-to-retain-even-the/) [Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It's cool that we're able to recollect a lot of the timeline of our band and personal lives, for better or for worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calum-hood/it-s-cool-that-we-re-able-to-recollect-a-lot-of-the-timeline-of-our/) [Calum Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calum-hood/) > [“I can but just recollect having been amused at the Theatres, and the Opera, and the Pantheon, and Ranelagh, and all those places, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/i-can-but-just-recollect-having-been-amused-at-the-theatres-and-the/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [I do not recollect when I had such a mental treat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-fillmore/i-do-not-recollect-when-i-had-such-a-mental-treat/) Abigail Fillmore ## More by Toni Bentley > [“In February, 1943, eight months before she was murdered in Auschwitz, the German painter Charlotte Salomon killed her grandfather. Salomon’s grandparents, like many Jews,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/in-february-1943-eight-months-before-she-was-murdered-in-auschwitz/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [“A man must have confidence in himself and his cock, to fuck a woman in the ass. If he does not have this control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/a-man-must-have-confidence-in-himself-and-his-cock-to-fuck-a-woman-in/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [“Women are taught that size doesn't matter, that it's the motion in the ocean. But this is a theory propagated by those bright guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/women-are-taught-that-size-doesn-t-matter-that-it-s-the-motion-in-the/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [To live and to laugh require a reason. But dancing is so close to one's guts that it has no reason and yet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/to-live-and-to-laugh-require-a-reason-but-dancing-is-so-close-to-one/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [We live only to dance. If living were not an essential prerequisite, we would abstain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/we-live-only-to-dance-if-living-were-not-an-essential-prerequisite-we/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [I recognized it immediately the first time it happened - the cackle of the crone. It is the sound of a woman who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/i-recognized-it-immediately-the-first-time-it-happened-the-cackle-of/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [“It's my hurt, my pain, and who are you to take it from me? I don't need rescuing, I don't need pity, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/it-s-my-hurt-my-pain-and-who-are-you-to-take-it-from-me-i-don-t-need/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [A brand-new pair of toe shoes presents itself to us as an enemy with a will of its own that must be tamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/a-brand-new-pair-of-toe-shoes-presents-itself-to-us-as-an-enemy-with/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [If a man can possess a woman sexually -really possess- he won't need to control her ideas, her opinions, her clothes, her friends, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/if-a-man-can-possess-a-woman-sexually-really-possess-he-won-t-need-to/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [Dancing may not be the perfect substitute for love, human love, but it certainly requires all the time and thought and energy that could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/dancing-may-not-be-the-perfect-substitute-for-love-human-love-but-it/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [A toe shoe is as eccentric as the ballerina who wears it: their marriage is a commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/a-toe-shoe-is-as-eccentric-as-the-ballerina-who-wears-it-their/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) [Explore all 12 Toni Bentley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) ## More Ballet quotes > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) Fernando Bujones > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) Peter Martins > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/) [Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) > [The dance, just as the performance of the actor, is kinesthetic art, art of the muscle sense. The awareness of tension and relaxation within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-dance-just-as-the-performance-of-the-actor-is-kinesthetic-art-art/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) [Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the moments passed all too fast. Life whizzed by; she no longer had time to recollect it. 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