In the quote from Franz Kafka's work, he reflects on the challenges of embracing bachelorhood while drawing inspiration from past figures. The struggle lies in idealizing the few bachelors remembered from earlier times, which creates an unrealistic model of how to live as a single man. Instead of emulating those figures, it highlights the importance of authenticity in one's own existence.

Kafka suggests that reality forces individuals to confront their own identities, with all their physical and emotional attributes. The essence of the quote is that one cannot simply replicate another's lifestyle, as true fulfillment comes from accepting and embodying one's unique self in the present moment.