Skip to content

Knowledge Quote by Virginia Woolf

“Sitting on the floor with her arm round Mrs. Ramsay's knees, close as she could get, smiling to think that Mrs. Ramsay would never know the reason of that pressure, she imagined how in the chambers of the mind and heart of the woman who was, physically, touching her, were stood, like treasures in…” quote by Virginia Woolf
Download Open image
““Sitting on the floor with her arm round Mrs. Ramsay's knees, close as she could get, smiling to think that Mrs. Ramsay would never know the reason of that pressure, she imagined how in the chambers of the mind and heart of the woman who was, physically, touching her, were stood, like treasures in the tombs of kings, tablets bearing sacred inscriptions, which if one could spell them out, would teach one everything; but they would never be offered openly, never made public. What art was there, known to love or cunning, by which one pressed through into those secret chambers? What device for becoming, like waters poured into one jar, inextricably the same, one with the object one adored? Could the body achieve, or the mind, subtly mingling in the intricate passages of the brain? or the heart? Could loving, as people called it, make her and Mrs. Ramsay one? for it was not knowledge but unity that she desired, not inscriptions on tablets, nothing could be written in any language known to men, but intimacy itself, which is knowledge, she had thought, leaning her head on Mrs. Ramsay's knee.””

Virginia Woolf

About This Quote

Source Novel: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, 1925

The narrator longs for deep, unspoken intimacy that transcends words, seeking a unity of mind and body with the loved one.

In simple terms: She craves a secret, wordless connection that makes them one.

Key Takeaway

Seek genuine, wordless intimacy.

Themes

love intimacy communication identity psychology

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

  • personal relationships
  • creative writing
  • psychological insight

Key Concepts

subjectivity embodiment interpersonal unity

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we cultivate wordless understanding?
  • What limits our ability to become truly one?
A Different Perspective

Such intimacy may remain unattainable due to personal barriers.

4.4 out of 5 (10 ratings)

More by Virginia Woolf

Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes

More Knowledge quotes

Browse all 13,227 Knowledge quotes