the real voyage of discovery quote meaning

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What Marcel Proust Really Said about Seeing with New Eyes

In his TED Talk— on home, travel, and stillness —author Pico Iyer refers to the words of the French author Marcel Proust:

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new sights, but in looking with new eyes.

When I Googled that phrase, I came up with several similar, though slightly different, versions. The most popular one comes up on over 800,000 sites, often used, as Iyer did, in the context of travel:

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

In chapter 2 of  The Prisoner , the narrator is commenting at length on art, rather than travel. Listening for the first time to a work by the composer Vinteuil, he finds himself transported not to a physical location, but to a wonderful “strange land” of the composer’s own making. “Each artist,” he decides, “seems thus to be the native of an unknown country, which he himself has forgotten. . . .” These artists include composers, such as Vinteuil, and painters, such as the narrator’s friend, Elstir. He continues:

This lost country composers do not actually remember, but each of them remains all his life somehow attuned to it; he is wild with joy when he is singing the airs of his native land, betrays it at times in his thirst for fame, but then, in seeking fame, turns his back upon it, and it is only when he despises it that he finds it when he utters, whatever the subject with which he is dealing, that peculiar strain the monotony of which—for whatever its subject it remains identical in itself—proves the permanence of the elements that compose his soul. But is it not the fact then that from those elements, all the real residuum which we are obliged to keep to ourselves, which cannot be transmitted in talk, even by friend to friend, by master to disciple, by lover to mistress, that ineffable something which makes a difference in quality between what each of us has felt and what he is obliged to leave behind at the threshold of the phrases in which he can communicate with his fellows only by limiting himself to external points common to us all and of no interest, art, the art of a Vinteuil like that of an Elstir, makes the man himself apparent, rendering externally visible in the colours of the spectrum that intimate composition of those worlds which we call individual persons and which, without the aid of art, we should never know? A pair of wings, a different mode of breathing, which would enable us to traverse infinite space, would in no way help us, for, if we visited Mars or Venus keeping the same senses, they would clothe in the same aspect as the things of the earth everything that we should be capable of seeing. The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds , that each of them is ; and this we can contrive with an Elstir, with a Vinteuil; with men like these we do really fly from star to star.

So there you have it. Maybe this adds to the meaning of the more-familiar “quotation.” Or maybe it lessens it, in your mind.

Maybe, for you, this is no longer a phrase about travel. Or maybe it is now much, much more so.

[photo: “ New Eyes ,” by Brian Talbot, used under a Creative Commons license —the photo’s caption at Flickr.com is the “most popular” version of Proust’s words, above]

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63 thoughts on “ what marcel proust really said about seeing with new eyes ”.

Very nice! I love quotes, and it’s always neat to hear the true story behind the quote.

Thanks, Ashley. It’s fun to track down the “truth.”

Awesome, I love it!

Thanks. I appreciate the kind words.

nicely done, Craig. Like you, I believe context (of the source) is everything!

Thank, Brian. Context sometimes complicates things, but it’s worth it.

Thanks Craig! Like you I often like to know the source of a quote. Often when a quote has multiple variations, it makes me believe that it’s a paraphrase of the original. What I found somewhat amusing, before reading your post, was that Wikipedia had the actual quote. Whereas the quote databases had it inaccurate.

Quotation sites are often just echo chambers of each other. I’m a fan of Wikipedia. Though a primary source, is good with footnotes, and those can send us to the sources. Thanks for the feedback, Johann.

Reblogged this on waffles and commented: “The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is.”

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Wonderful and perfect timing as I have just been investigating the short version myself.

Great! Glad you found what you’re looking for.

I’m reading Proust now and wondered when I would come across his famous quote. I was surprised, this week, to come across a passage similar but–as you point out–different in both context and meaning to the popular quote I’d heard so many times. I’m a big fan of efforts to debunk the sources of famous quotes roaming the internet, and I’m glad you tackled this one!

Glad I could be of help. Reading Proust . . . you’re tackling more than I did.

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Please tell me which of the books this quotation comes from. I am reading the entire multi-volume Remembrance of Things Past; regrettably, I started with the last book which was the only one I could obtain when I started. Now, of course, I am hooked.

Volume 5 out of 7. Hope that helps.

FOUND IT: Page 559, The Captive, Volume Two of Remembrance of Things Past, Random House, 1927, translated by C. K. Scott Moncrieff. I am learning that translators and publishers make a difference when reading international authors…also reading Pushkin too.

Yup, different titles and different volumes. Thanks for letting us know.

Mr craig i have a question about this quote

Despite the “correct” quotation from Proust, so many have fallen in love with the paraphrase attributed to him. While incorrect, it is the sentiment of the paraphrase that has captured the imagination of so many, myself included, and should be allowed to stand as a viable piece of wisdom all on its own. We could begin to attribute it to “Author unknown”, but why? Look how many find their way to the wonderful musings of Proust who might not otherwise if their path were blocked by “Anonymous”.

I agree. Well said. It’s better to bring people to the source than for them to stall out with an attribution to Anonymous or Benjamin Franklin or Martin Luther King, Jr. or Winston Churchill or. . . . Thanks much for adding to the conversation.

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Thank you so much for finding this! I don’t trust those famous quotes either XD

They’re a good place to start the search, but they need sources, sources, sources.

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The beauty of art is that it is an expression of self. Just as there are no two people that are exactly alike, there are typically no two interpretations that are exactly alike. I appreciate Craig opening up this thread back in 2013 to help each of us think deeply about what the artist was expressing. My interpretation is that what is happening here (in this post) is what was being written about. Each of us can expand our point of view by seeing through new eyes. No right or wrong simply expanding our point of view through self-expression.

Thanks, Chip. Well said! Glad that you’ve joined the conversation with your perspective.

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I think its far older. And orginaly from Marc Aurel (latin).

Thanks for the input!

It really depends on which translation you have – I have four different translations of the work, and still I haven’t learnt French!

I studied French in college, and about the only thing I can remember how to say is “Je parle français un peu.”

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Marcel Proust 1871–1922 French novelist  

• Remembrance of things past. translation by C. K. Scott-Moncrieff and S. Hudson of the title À la recherche du temps perdu [ In search of lost time ] (1913–27); see Shakespeare
• For a long time I used to go to bed early. Du côté de chez Swann (Swann's Way, 1913) vol. 1, tr. C. K. Scott-Moncrieff and S. Hudson, rev. T. Kilmartin, p. 1
• And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray…my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. Du côté de chez Swann (Swann's Way, 1913) vol. 1, tr. C. K. Scott-Moncrieff and S. Hudson, rev. T. Kilmartin
• An artist has no need to express his thought directly in his work for the latter to reflect its quality; it has even been said that the highest praise of God consists in the denial of Him by the atheist who finds creation so perfect that it can dispense with a creator. Le Côté de Guermantes (Guermantes Way, 1921)
• Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey. Sodome et Gomorrhe (Cities of the Plain, 1922) vol. 1, pt. 2, ch. 1, tr. C. K. Scott-Moncrieff and S. Hudson, rev. T. Kilmartin
• I have a horror of sunsets, they're so romantic, so operatic. Sodome et Gomorrhe (Cities of the Plain, 1922)
• Everything we think of as great has come to us from neurotics. It is they and they alone who found religions and create great works of art. The world will never realise how much it owes to them and what they have suffered in order to bestow their gifts on it. Le Côté de Guermantes (Guermantes Way, 1921)
• The only true voyage of discovery…would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes. often quoted as ‘The real voyage of discovery…consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes’ La Prisonnière (The Captive, 1923)
• We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full. Albertine disparue (The Sweet Cheat Gone, 1925) ch. 1, tr. C. K. Scott-Moncrieff and S. Hudson, rev. T. Kilmartin
• The true paradises are the paradises that we have lost. Le Temps retrouvé (Time Regained, 1926) ch. 3, tr. C. K. Scott-Moncrieff and S. Hudson, rev. T. Kilmartin
• For if unhappiness develops the forces of the mind, happiness alone is salutary to the body. Le Temps retrouvé (Time Regained, 1926)
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Marcel Proust: 'The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.'

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

"The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." – Marcel ProustIn this thought-provoking quote by Marcel Proust, he challenges us to reconsider the way we perceive the world around us. The quote suggests that true exploration and understanding come not from physically venturing into new territories, but rather from altering our perspectives and seeing things through fresh eyes. It urges us to embrace curiosity and open ourselves up to different interpretations and viewpoints.At first glance, the quote seems straightforward in its message – the key to discovery lies in our perception rather than our physical presence. It reminds us that the world is a vast and diverse place, full of infinite possibilities waiting to be unlocked. We often trap ourselves in routines and patterns, limiting our ability to perceive the beauty and richness present in our surroundings. Proust invites us to break free from these self-imposed constraints and embark on a journey of uncovering hidden truths and insights.However, to further explore the essence of this quote, let's introduce the fascinating concept of solipsism - the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is certain to exist. While starkly contrasting with Proust's view, this concept raises intriguing questions about the nature of perception and reality. Does having new eyes truly lead to discovery, or are we simply rearranging our subjective reality?For solipsists, the very notion of seeking new landscapes or novel experiences becomes futile, as all external stimuli are perceived through the lens of one's own mind. In their philosophical perspective, the only true voyage of discovery lies within the exploration of one's thoughts and perceptions. This seemingly radical viewpoint challenges the common notion that we need to physically venture into new territories to gain new insights. Instead, solipsism suggests that true discovery can be achieved by diligently examining and questioning our own subjective experience.Engaging with solipsism not to adopt it as an absolute truth, but to stimulate further reflection, we can appreciate the complexity of Proust's quote. It prompts us to consider whether our ability to have new eyes is sufficient to influence the external world, or if our perceptions are confined within the boundaries of our consciousness. Does our altered perspective simply change how we interpret the landscapes, or does it truly transform the landscapes themselves?Ultimately, Proust's quote emphasizes the incredible power of perspective in shaping our understanding of the world. It encourages us to embrace curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to challenge our preconceptions. By looking at the world with fresh eyes, we can uncover hidden meanings, appreciate previously unnoticed beauty, and broaden our horizons.Whether we interpret Proust's words through a solipsistic lens or not, the underlying message remains clear: the voyage of discovery begins within ourselves. It is our ability to perceive, interpret, and engage with the world that opens doors to new insights and profound understanding. So, let us embark on this remarkable voyage, armed with fresh eyes that enable us to unravel the wonders of our existence.

Marcel Proust: 'We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.'

Marcel proust: 'love is space and time measured by the heart.'.

Marcel Proust quotation having / seeing with new eyes

Marcel proust - the real voyage of discovery consists…, looking at human existence with ~ philosophical ~ new eyes.

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It's Amazing What You'll Discover Through New Eyes

Award Winning Author, Keynote Speaker, Mentor - Thought Leader

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Proust

Just like Christopher Columbus or Marco Polo, I believe each of us came to this planet hardwired to explore, to push out, to grow and to evolve -- to discover new parts of ourselves and our world we have not seen before. While visiting the J. Paul Getty Museum, perched high on a hill overlooking Los Angeles, I had a demonstration of how, sometimes, we tend to overcomplicate the process of new discovery. Pushing out and growing doesn't always mean getting into a Land Rover and seeking new terrain or a sailing vessel searching for new land or flying on a rocket ship exploring outer space. Sometimes the greatest discoveries are made by exploring inner space, in the cracks and crevices of our belief system, which has everything to do with how we perceive ourselves and our world. In other words, new discovery is also an inside job that invites us to see our lives and our world, right where we are, from a new perspective.

While strolling the grounds of the new Getty, which has only been there since 1997, I happened upon the setting for what would become a Kodak moment photograph. Standing on an elevated plateau off the backside of the museum, I was moved first by the beauty of the lush and open landscape, and then my eye was drawn to the most unusual ultramodern red-metal sculpture. After I snapped a photograph, I stood there staring at this very unique work of art, trying to interpret what the artist who created it was saying. I got nothing! About five minutes later, my gazed softened and lifted to the horizon behind the sculpture, and I was captivated by the tall buildings several miles off in the city of Los Angeles, which have been there for many years -- I knew the buildings in that area well, because I had driven by them many times. I had just never seen them from this elevated perspective. It was a breathtaking moment -- it gave me a new appreciation for "old" Los Angeles, a place I have known for more than a half century, but have seldom seen this beautiful. Perhaps the artist placed the sculpture in that very spot just for me to have my own personal epiphany. As Marcel Proust infers, we don't really have to discover new landscapes to be in the creative process of discovery, sometimes we simply need to change our perspective, to elevate it and see what we already know so well through new eyes.

This is a metaphor that is applicable to just about every area of our life when we stop and consider it. Sometimes it's easy to become stale, bored, jaded or shortsighted in how we see our lives, our relationships, our physical bodies, our jobs, the home in which we live, the community in which we live, the country in which we live and even the car we drive. When we start taking these things for granted because we are so near to them, we fail to see the precious role they play in the big picture of our daily lives. At those times, it may be tempting to seek new landscapes, that is, to look elsewhere for our inspiration, fulfillment and contentment. Perhaps what we need is not a new relationship, job, home, community or car. Perhaps what is need is a new perspective, to see what lies before us with new eyes.

If this metaphor resonates with you, I invite you to consider the fact that if you have eyes to see this article on your computer screen (let alone the meaning of the aforementioned metaphor) you are very blessed. If you have a relationship in which you find peace, love and companionship, you are very blessed. The same can be said about your job, physical well-being, home, community, country, car and so on. The practice is to remember that to discover new things about yourself, your life and your world, you don't always have to seek new landscapes. Just lift your perspective a bit, and see the beauty and blessings that already lie in front you through new eyes. Then feel the gratitude well up from within.

If you have not experienced the Getty Museum , the next time you visit the Los Angeles area I encourage you make a point to see it with your own eyes. It may change your perspective about a few things as it did mine. Perhaps the artist who created and placed that sculpture where he or she did, did so with great intention. Perhaps he or she knew it wasn't just about the unique sculpture alone. Perhaps the artist intended to use the backdrop of a much bigger picture as part of his or her creation -- naturally drawing the viewer's eye to the horizon, where every person will see what is theirs to see. As Thoreau wrote, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

Given this perspective, what you see when you look at your life and your world truly is a work of art. You really don't have to go all that far on your voyage of discovery to find something new. You just need to have new eyes.

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For more by Dennis Merritt Jones, click here .

For more on mindfulness, click here .

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20 quotes on discovery, make 2014 your year of discovery..

Posted December 29, 2013

Make 2014 your year of discovery. Learn through these quotes about the process of discovery and how it can help you.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. - Marcel Proust

Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish. - Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

We discover in others what others hide from us, and we recognize in others what we hide from ourselves. – Marquis de Vauvenarques

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. – Andre Gide

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. – Plato

The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand. – Frank Herbert

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge. – Daniel J. Boorstin

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. – Galileo Galilei

If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention , than to any other talent. – Isaac Newton

The greatest discoveries have come from people who have looked at a standard situation and seen it differently. – Ira Erwin

After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.

Physicist Albert Einstein playing the violin

– Sophia Loren

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. – A.A. Milne

The process of scientific discovery is, in effect, a continual flight from wonder. – Albert Einstein

One of the greatest discoveries a makn makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t. – Henry Ford

By mutual confidence and mutual aid – great deeds are done, and great discoveries made. – Homer

Mistakes are the portals of discovery. – James Joyce

People are usually more convinced by reasons they discovered themselves than by those found by others. – Blaise Pascal

There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made. – Richard Feynman

He who never made a mistake never made a discovery. – Samuel Smiles

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Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, Ph.D., N.C.C., D.C.M.H.S., L.M.H.C ., is the author of Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People — and Break Free .

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.”

This quote, by Marcel Proust, is about life’s journey of discovery. It’s a journey that’s not solely about discovering new places. Rather, it’s the journey of discovering new perspectives–learning new things, gaining new insights, having a better understanding. When we manage to see with a new point of view, we get to simultaneously see our circumstances and environments with new eyes though they haven’t change.

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Seeing Through New Eyes

You are probably familiar with the famous quote attributed to Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” The power of “seeing” using new eyes, or reframing, as a therapeutic technique to open doors for new possibilities of thinking and acting, is nothing new to mental health professionals. But when you look again at Proust’s quote, however, this time reading the actual quote from the original source you may discover a new layer in the familiar landscape. Proust writes:

The only true voyage, the only bath in the Fountain of Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to see the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to see the hundred universes that each of them sees, that each of them is. *

As suggested by the title of Proust’s book, The Prisoner, the journey toward a life lived with freedom involves the need to reframe. Sometimes you or your client need to change the conceptual or emotional setting, thereby changing the entire meaning, of an experience that you feel is constricting you or obstructing your view. But Proust furthermore maintains that the process of liberation depends on our kinship with each other; that the way to see and to experience the richness and the grandeur available through “the hundred universes” that exist in us and around us, is by connecting to the other, by looking through the eyes of another.

During these times of divisiveness and polarization you or your client may find yourselves in a position where the only universe you can imagine seeing through the eyes of the “other” looks as if it was a fiery Hell. These are not easy and simple times. But if Proust is right that we cannot be really free when we are pushing the other out of our hearts, when we are marginalizing the other to be outside of our “frame,” then we have a fundamental challenge and opportunity we must face. How can we reframe our personal and collective situation going beyond aversive reactivity? How can we see “the hundred universes that each of them sees” without having them being filtered automatically through labels and stereotypes? What would it be like to look through another’s eyes as a way of healing our community, our country, and our world?

* Marcel Proust, The Prisoner, Vol. 5, Ch. 2. Originally published in French, in 1923, and first translated into English by C. K. Moncrief

Marcel Proust Quote

The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is.

In Search of Lost Time (1913-1927) - Vol. V: The Captive (1923)

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Top 5 Best Columbus Day Quotes:

"The greatest discoveries have come from people who have looked at a standard situation and seen it differently.” – Ira Erwin

  “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

“Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit.” – Frank Borman

  “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” – André Gide

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” – John Hope Franklin

More Columbus Day Quotes:

“The forest is not a resource for us, it is life itself. It is the only place for us to live.” - Evaristo Nugkuag Ikanan “Although we are in different boats you in your boat and we in our canoe we share the same river of life.” - Chief Oren Lyons “All things are connected like the blood that unites us, We did not weave the web of life. We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.” - Chief Seattle

"By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination." - Christopher Columbus

"The most effective way to do it is to do it." - Amelia Earhart

"Each of us has within a continent of undiscovered character. Blessed are those who act the Columbus to their own soul." - Author Unknown

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

"Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." - Robert F. Kennedy

"Columbus had all the spirit of a crusader, and, at the same time, the investigating nature of a modern man of science." - Edmund Arthur Helps

"He gave the world another world." - George Santayana

"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." - James Joyce

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Christopher Columbus

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Voyages Of Discovery Quotes

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The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy.

To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.

Every day is not just another assignment; it is a small, but contained voyage of discovery.

What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we cannot cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

The greatest explorer on this earth never takes voyages as long as those of the man who descends to the depth of his heart.

It is in moments of illness that we are compelled to recognize that we live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom, whole worlds apart, who has no knowledge of us and by whom it is impossible to make ourselves understood: our body.

We live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom: our body.

What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous.

It means that we should celebrate today's failure because it is a clear sign that our voyage of discovery is not yet over.

I think of myself as an explorer who has spent his life on a long voyage of discovery.

This is what I like about life at sea. It’s one long voyage of discovery. Solid water! What will they think of next? Hopefully a pony who solves crimes.

I define coaching as launching the salesperson on a voyage of discovery by asking questions.

If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle them, and, as it were, fondle them. Let them fall open where they will. Make a voyage of discovery, taking soundings of uncharted seas.

Le veritable voyage de decouverte ne consiste pas a chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais a avoir de nouveaux yeux. (The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.)

The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. The glory of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acpuire it.

What everyone in the astronaut corps shares in common is not gender or ethnic background, but motivation, perseverance, and desire - the desire to participate in a voyage of discovery.

Every book that anyone sets out on is a voyage of discovery that may discover nothing. Any voyager may be lost at sea, like John Cabot. Nobody can teach the geography of the undiscovered. All he can do is encourge the will to explore, plus impress upon the inexperienced a few of the dos and don'ts of voyaging.

Writing is always a voyage of discovery.

The true voyage of discovery is not a journey to a new place; it is learning to see with new eyes.

I dreamed of Crusades, voyages of discovery that nobody had heard of, republics without histories, religious wars stamped out, revolutions in morals, movements of races and continents; I used to believe in every kind of magic. I began it as an investigation. I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still.

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• Marcel Proust

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeki...

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

- Marcel Proust

Wisdom Creativity

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More quotes by Marcel Proust

Everything great in the world comes from neurotics. They alone have founded our religions and composed our masterpieces.

It is in moments of illness that we are compelled to recognize that we live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom, whole worlds apart, who has no knowledge of us and by whom it is impossible to make ourselves understood: our body.

Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know what another person sees.

More quotes about Wisdom

• Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

- Mark Twain

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.

- Albert Einstein

The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.

- H.L.Mencken

Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself.

- Tom Wilson

More quotes about Creativity

• Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.

- Henry Ward Beecher

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

- Alan Cohen

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who said "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeki... ".

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeki... " is one of a famous quotes by Marcel Proust. Complete quote is as follows; "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

What is "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeki... "?

What does "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeki... " mean.

This quote is primarily about Creativity although it also includes other themes like Wisdom & Creativity. It is attributed to Marcel Proust. Complete quote is as follows; "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

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