Marcel Proust Quote: Having New Eyes & Travel

Do you ever see a particular quote over and over again, for seemingly no reason? It’s been said that there are no coincidences, so it’s interesting that this Marcel Proust quote has been a reoccurring theme for me:

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

~ Marcel Proust

The first time I heard this quote, it was spoken by Fr. Roderick Vonhögen at the end of one his podcasts. From the moment I heard Proust’s words, my view on travel changed forever. Proust, being one of the great 20th century French writers, understood that perception affects personal experience just as much as one’s location.

Applies to Travel

Applying this idea to the Art of Travel: as one travels from place to place, learning along the way, one is profoundly and permanently changed through new people, landscapes, and experiences. However, one soon realizes that the landscapes one finds oneself in directly reflect the traveller’s inner state. Travel becomes a magnificent mirror to the self that allows one to examine areas of one’s life and see gaps in one’s knowledge that perhaps were not apparent before. In this way, travel provides people with an opportunity to grow their sense of perception and become more aware of the true state of themselves and others.

Because this quote has continually showed up in my reality, I’ve created a small poster of it, and added it to the Byteful Gallery’s InspirationEverywhere album. There you’ll find many Inspirational & Motivational quote posters. You can print these out in places you will see them for a confidence boost every day. They can also be used as a desktop wallpaper.

Feel free to place Proust’s quote somewhere in your life to remind you to seek not just new landscapes but new eyes, as well.