[S]omehow, without his being aware of it, time had coated his awe with a rind of disillusionment, and the wine of wonder had turned to vinegar.

About This Quote

Unlike A.E. Housman, Marcel Proust said, "Somehow, without his being aware of it, time had coated his awe with a rind of disillusionment, and the wine of wonder had turned to vinegar." Awe is the deepest, most profound emotion that humans can experience, and one that we all experience at times. To feel awed by something is a valuable thing. However, although we all experience awe from time to time, the kind of awe that Proust is talking about doesn't hold up under further scrutiny.

It's true that our lives are filled with wonder and beauty, but even more so when we’re young. If you were to be shown a beautiful sunset for the first time right after your mother told you that you were adopted, you might have felt awe at seeing this magical event in nature. However, if you were to see the same sunset years later when you knew the truth about your origins, it would have less impact.

You would have already begun to understand how things worked in the world around you and so would feel less awed by it personally.

Source: The Snow Queen

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1. [S]omehow, without his being aware of it, time had coated his awe with a rind of disillusionment, and the wine of wonder had turned to vinegar.

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