Absent Quote by Wyndham Lewis
“The Future is distant, like the Past, and therefore sentimental. The mere element "Past" must be retained to sponge up and absorb our melancholy. Everything absent, remote, requiring projection in the veiled weakness of the mind, is sentimental.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Future is Distant, like the Past, and Therefore Sentimental, 1930
The quote suggests that distance in time makes us nostalgic, and we need to keep the past alive to process our melancholy.
In simple terms: Distance creates nostalgia; we hold onto the past to manage sadness.
Key Takeaway
Preserve memories to cope with longing.
Themes
nostalgia
time
memory
emotion
sentimentality
Mood
melancholy
reflective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- creative writing
- historical research
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
psychology
philosophy
temporal perception
Questions to Reflect On
- How does remembering the past shape your view of the future?
- What role does nostalgia play in your creative process?
A Different Perspective
May overlook present opportunities by focusing too much on past sentiment.
![“[About Jews] Sheer egotism compels us to the purest love of mankind as a whole… Our hearts are like a sponge, receptive to all the newest humanitarian ideas; and our sympathy goes out to all the unfortunate, all the oppressed.” quote by I. L. Peretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fc2/i-l-peretz-22812_egotism_about-jews-sheer-egotism-compels-us-to-t_141834.jpg)
