Country Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
“The road now stretched across open country, and it occured to me - not by way of protest, not as a symbol, or anything like that, but merely as a novel experience - that since I had disregarded all laws of humanity, I might as well disregard the rules of traffic. So I crossed to the left side of the highway and checked the feeling, and the feeling was good. It was a pleasant diaphragmal melting, with elements of diffused tactility, all this enhanced by the thought that nothing could be nearer to the elimination of basic physical laws than deliberately driving on the wrong site of the road.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Ada, 1969
The narrator describes a reckless, liberating act of breaking traffic rules as a metaphor for rejecting societal constraints, feeling exhilarated by the transgression.
In simple terms: Breaking rules can feel freeing and exhilarating.
Key Takeaway
Embrace calculated risks to feel alive.
Themes
rebellion
freedom
transgression
experimentation
psychology
Mood
thrilling
defiant
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- driving
- personal rebellion
- creative writing
- psychological exploration
Key Concepts
existentialism
risk-taking
sensory experience
Questions to Reflect On
- What boundaries do you test for personal growth?
- When does rebellion become harmful?
A Different Perspective
Such behavior can endanger others and self, limiting its practicality.
![“...under no circumstances would he [Humbert Humbert] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/vladimir-nabokov-198_children_under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert_16228.jpg)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
