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Memory was supposed to fill the time, but it made time a hole to be filled. Each second was two hundred yards, to be walked, crawled. You couldn't see the next hour, it was so far in the distance. Tomorrow was over the horizon, and would take an entire day to reach.
Jonathan Safran Foer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects on how memory distorts our perception of time, making it feel elongated and burdensome.

In this quote, Jonathan Safran Foer delves into the experience of memory and time, suggesting that rather than merely filling time with recollections, memories can transform our experience into a daunting journey. Each moment feels vast and heavy, isolating us from the present as we struggle to reach what lies ahead, creating a profound sense of distance from the future and an overwhelming heaviness in the present.

Themes

MemoryTimeJourneyExperiencePerception

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the importance of living in the moment, one might say, 'As Jonathan Safran Foer eloquently puts it, memory can make time feel like an insurmountable journey.'

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Just how destructive does a culinary preference have to be before we decide to eat something else? If contributing to the suffering of billions of animals that live miserable lives and (quite often) die in horrific ways isn't motivating, what would be? If being the number one contributor to the most serious threat facing the planet (global warming) isn't enough, what is? And if you are tempted to put off these questions of conscience, to say not now, then when?
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