"A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born"
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
About this Quote
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's quote, "A single occasion can awaken within us a stranger absolutely unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born," encapsulates the extensive journey of human self-discovery and transformation. The imagery of "a single event" suggests moments that hold the power to substantially change our understanding and perception of ourselves. Such experiences, whether common or remarkable, can reveal elements of our character, feelings, or abilities that we were formerly unaware of, thus presenting us to aspects of our identity that feel foreign-- hence, "a complete stranger."
This awakening can be activated by numerous experiences-- an unexpected encounter, an individual crisis, a moment of motivation-- that challenges our existing beliefs or emotions. These events require us out of our convenience zones, prompting introspection and growth. In such moments, we confront parts of ourselves that have been inactive or reduced, leading to a richer, more complicated understanding of who we are. This revelation can be both upsetting and enlightening, as it forces us to fix up the recently discovered elements with our former self-concept.
The second part of the quote, "To live is to be slowly born," recommends that life itself is a continuous procedure of becoming. It implies that our individual development is not a swift or particular event however a gradual advancement. We are "slowly born" through the accumulation of experiences, each contributing to the unfolding of our identity. The phrase evokes the concept of life as a journey of continuous birth, where each phase of our presence reveals new dimensions of our being.
Together, the 2 parts of the quote emphasize the dynamic nature of human identity. Saint-Exupéry suggests that our understanding of ourselves is not fixed, however ever-changing, evolving with each life experience. This perspective motivates an openness to life's transformative potential, welcoming us to embrace modification and the unknown aspects of our identity as necessary elements of our continuous individual development.
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