Had I realized at the time that for Austerlitz certain moments had no beginning or end, while on the other hand his whole life had sometimes seemed to him a blank point without duration, I would probably have waited more patiently.

W.G. Sebald
About This Quote

In his memoir, "Austerlitz," Joseph Roth writes: “Had I realized at the time that for Austerlitz certain moments had no beginning or end, while on the other hand his whole life had sometimes seemed to him a blank point without duration, I would probably have waited more patiently.” The first part of this quote is referring to the fact that the first half of the battle of Austerlitz lasted about six hours. The second part of this quote, however, is referring to the fact that Roth was not patient during those six hours. He was impatient and he wanted to accomplish something after such a short period of time.

Source: Austerlitz

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