We shall be quiet and wait till a star falls from heaven. Can you see, how above one light appears after the other and they together form a dome! We sit in silence and fold our hands in prayer. We shall be quiet and wait until a star falls from heaven.
“Mankind’s greatest accomplishment of the past is that we no longer have to live in continual fear of wild animals, barbarians, gods, and our own dreams.”
—Daybreak, §5 (edited).
—Daybreak, §5 (edited).
As far as I am concerned, I resign from humanity. I no longer want to be, nor can still be, a man. What should I do? Work for a social and political system, make a girl miserable? Hunt for weaknesses in philosophical systems, fight for moral and esthetic ideals? It’s all too little. I renounce my humanity even though I may find myself alone. But am I not already alone in this world from which I no longer expect anything?
- Emil Cioran, On the Heights of Despair
- Emil Cioran, On the Heights of Despair
Twisting and turning beside the slumbering Tereza
He recalled something she had told him a long time before
In the course of an insignificant conversation
They had been talking about his friend Z, when she announced
"If I hadn't met you, I'd certainly have fallen in love with him"
Even then, her words had left Tomas in a strange state of melancholy
And now he realized it was only a matter of chance
That Tereza loved him and not his friend Z
Apart from her consummated love for Tomas, there were
In the realm of possibility, an infinite number of unconsummated loves for other men
We all reject out of hand the idea
That the love of our life may be something light or weightless
We presume our love is what must be
That without it our life would no longer be the same
We feel Beethoven himself
Gloomy and awe-inspiring
Is playing to our own great love
He recalled something she had told him a long time before
In the course of an insignificant conversation
They had been talking about his friend Z, when she announced
"If I hadn't met you, I'd certainly have fallen in love with him"
Even then, her words had left Tomas in a strange state of melancholy
And now he realized it was only a matter of chance
That Tereza loved him and not his friend Z
Apart from her consummated love for Tomas, there were
In the realm of possibility, an infinite number of unconsummated loves for other men
We all reject out of hand the idea
That the love of our life may be something light or weightless
We presume our love is what must be
That without it our life would no longer be the same
We feel Beethoven himself
Gloomy and awe-inspiring
Is playing to our own great love
If the passion for truthfulness is merely controlled and stilled without being satisfied, it will kill the activities it is supposed to support. This may be one of the reasons why, at the present time, the study of the humanities runs a risk of sliding from professional seriousness, through professionalization, to a finally disenchanted careerism.
- Bernard Williams
- Bernard Williams
We've no use for intellectuals in this outfit. What we need is chimpanzees. Let me give you a word of advice: never say a word to us about being intelligent. We will think for you, my friend. Don't forget it.
- Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night
- Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night