Fragrance Quote
Patrick Süskind wrote in Perfume that “scent was a brother of breath,” which is why people cannot defend themselves against it.
In His Own Words
“But they couldn’t escape scent. For scent was a brother of breath.”
— Patrick Süskind, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (1985), Part 2, translated by John E. Woods (1986)
Essential Details
Süskind: Scent Is a Brother of Breath at a Glance
- Speaker: Patrick Süskind (born 1949)
- Source: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Part 2, Woods translation
- Status: Short quotation for commentary; in copyright
- Note: Only the two sentences above are quoted; the rest of the passage is not reproduced here
Why the Quote Resonates
The line makes a simple physical point: people breathe in air and scent together, so a smell cannot be turned off the way a sound can be muffled. That is why scent in a room, a shop or a hotel shapes mood so quickly, and why some people react to fragrance they did not choose to wear.
Sharing the Air
Breath is also the reason fragrance etiquette matters. A scent that suits you may fill a small room. Read the companion line in Süskind on the Power of Odors, and compare the more positive reading in Proust. The History of Perfume covers how scent has been used in shared spaces.
Why it matters
Scent travels on breath, so it reaches everyone in the room, wanted or not.