I am transcribing a book that I have, in a sense, not yet written, and in another sense, have always written, and in another sense, am currently writing, and in another sense, am always writing, and in another sense, will never write.
Charles YuRead
I had forgotten: this is what it feels like to live in time. The lurching forward, the sensation of falling of a cliff into darkness, and then landing abruptly, surprised, confused, and then starting the whole process again in the next moment, doing that over and over again, falling into each instant of time and then climbing back up only to repeat the process.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the experience of living through the passage of time and the emotional turmoil it brings.
In this quote, Charles Yu explores the complex nature of human existence as we navigate through time. He likens the experience to a cycle of falling into each moment, reflecting both the uncertainty and surprise that accompany life's fleeting instants, ultimately illustrating how we grapple with the continuous flow of time and our emotions within it.
Themes
TimeExistenceEmotionMomentExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, you might summarize how each moment teaches us something valuable.
More from Charles Yu
All quotes →All of her heart, a meaningless phrase, but correct and precise, too. She used her heart to love him, not her head, and not her words and not her thoughts or ideas or feelings or any other vehicle or object or device people use to deliver love or love-like things.
Charles YuRead
Enjoy the elastic present, which can accommodate as little or as much as you want to put in there. Stretch it out, live inside of it.
Charles YuRead
Maybe we spend most of our decades being someone else, avoiding ourselves, maybe a man is only himself, his true self, for a few days in his entire life.
Charles YuRead
You want to tell a story? Grow a heart. Grow two. Now, with the second heart, smash the first one into bits.
Charles YuRead
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