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Alive Quote by W. G. Sebald

“I feel more and more as if time did not exist at all... only various spaces interlocking according to the rules of a higher form of stereometry[the geometric measurement of solid bodies], between which the living and the dead can move back and forth as they like, and the longer I think about it…” quote by W. G. Sebald
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“I feel more and more as if time did not exist at all... only various spaces interlocking according to the rules of a higher form of stereometry[the geometric measurement of solid bodies], between which the living and the dead can move back and forth as they like, and the longer I think about it the more it seems to me that we who are still alive are unreal in the eyes of the dead.”

W. G. Sebald

About This Quote

Source Novel: Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald, 2001

The quote suggests that time is an illusion, with spaces interlocking like a higher geometry, allowing the dead and living to intersect, making the living feel unreal to the dead.

In simple terms: Time feels like an illusion where living and dead intersect.

Key Takeaway

Consider existence as fluid across dimensions.

Themes

philosophy existentialism perception time life after death

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • contemplating mortality
  • artistic writing
  • philosophical discourse
  • personal meditation

Key Concepts

metaphysics ontological relativity dimensional theory

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does perceiving time as non-linear affect your daily choices?
  • Do you feel more connected to past generations?
A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex physics and consciousness.

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