--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...the very old men [...] believing that…" description: "\"“...the very old men [...] believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps, confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the ol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/william-faulkner-306_memory_the-very-old-men-believing-that-they-had_345813.png" --- # ...the very old men \[...\] believing that they had danced… ![“...the very old men [...] believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps, confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the old do, to whom all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by the…” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/william-faulkner-306_memory_the-very-old-men-believing-that-they-had_345813.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/william-faulkner-306_memory_the-very-old-men-believing-that-they-had_345813.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/william-faulkner-306_memory_the-very-old-men-believing-that-they-had_345813.png) > ““...the very old men \[...\] believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps, confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the old do, to whom all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by the narrow bottle-neck of the most recent decade of years.”” [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on aging, memory, and how the elderly perceive time as a vast, untouched meadow rather than a diminishing road, highlighting the contrast between past and present. **In simple terms:** Old age sees time as endless, not shrinking. Key Takeaway Cherish present moments before they narrow. Themes aging memory time perception nostalgia Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reflecting on life - writing memoirs - discussing aging - teaching philosophy Key Concepts existentialism subjective experience Questions to Reflect On - How does your view of time change with age? - What does the 'narrow bottle-neck' symbolize for you? A Different Perspective May overlook the continuity of personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courted Confusing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courted-confusing-3204798/) [Danced Courted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danced-courted-3204801/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Old men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-men/) [Old Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-past-715050/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Diminishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-diminishing-3204799/) [Progression Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progression-old-3204800/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“and the very old men--some in their brushed Confederate uniforms--on the porch and the lawn, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/and-the-very-old-men-some-in-their-brushed-confederate-uniforms-on/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“All the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/all-the-past-is-not-a-diminishing-road-but-instead-a-huge-meadow/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [U can't build a good future with anyone if ur still dwelling on old past relationship issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carilenae/u-can-t-build-a-good-future-with-anyone-if-ur-still-dwelling-on-old/) [CariLenae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carilenae/) > [To me, literature is a calling, even a kind of salvation. 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Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. 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