“Not to find one’s way in a city may well be uninteresting and banal. It requires ignorance—nothing more," says the twentieth-century philosopher-essayist Walter Benjamin. “But to lose oneself in a city—as one loses oneself in a forest—that calls for quite a different schooling.” To lose yourself: a voluptuous surrender, lost in your arms, lost to the world, utterly immersed in what is present so that its surroundings fade away. In Benjamin’s terms, to be lost is to be fully present, and to be fully present is to be capable of being in uncertainty and mystery. And one does not get lost but loses oneself, with the implication that it is a conscious choice, a chosen surrender, a psychic state achievable through geography.”

Share & Save

Meaning

Not documented yet.

When It Was Said

Not documented yet.

Who It Was Said To

Not documented yet.

Historical Context

Not documented yet.

Source

Not documented yet.

Original Language & Translation

Originally said in English.

Did They Really Say It?

Not documented yet.

Did You Know?

Not documented yet.

About Rebecca Solnit

A California-based writer and essayist, Rebecca Solnit is best known for her incisive explorations of social justice, feminism, and the politics of place. Her work spans books like *A Field Guide to Getting Lost* and *Men Explain Things to Me*, blending sharp analysis with accessible prose.

More from Rebecca Solnit (189 quotes) →
"Not to find one’s way in a city may well be uninteresting and banal.…" — Rebecca Solnit | Daily Quotes