Reminiscences, even extensive ones, do not always amount to an autobiography. For autobiography has to do with time, with sequence and what makes up the continuous flow of life. Here, I am talking of a space, of moments and discontinuities. For even if months and years appear here, it is in the form they have in the moment of recollection. This strange form -- it may be called fleeting or eternal -- is in neither case the stuff that life is made of.

Summary

This quote by French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty explains the distinction between reminiscences and autobiography. Reminiscences do not necessarily provide a comprehensive account of one's life as autobiography does. Autobiography focuses on the chronological progression and cohesive narrative that make up the continuous flow of a person's existence. In contrast, reminiscences capture glimpses of experiences, emphasizing moments and discontinuities rather than the linear passage of time. Merleau-Ponty highlights that even though time is referenced in reminiscences, it is portrayed in the subjective form it takes in the moment of recollection. Ultimately, this ephemeral or timeless quality does not encompass the essence of life itself.

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