“Infinite resignation is that shirt in the old fable. The thread is spun with tears, bleached by tears, the shirt sewn in tears, but then it also gives better protection than iron and steel. A defect of the fable is that a third party is able to make the material. The secret in life is that everyone must sew it for himself.”
― Fear and Trembling
― Fear and Trembling
“There are many, indeed, who show no such anxiety. But we affirm that they are merely disguising their anguish or are in flight from it.”
― Existentialism is a Humanism
― Existentialism is a Humanism
“There can no longer be any good a priori, since there is no infinite and perfect consciousness to think it. It is nowhere written that "the good" exists, that one must be honest or must not lie, since we are now upon the plane where there are only men. Dostoevsky once wrote: "If God did not exist, everything would be permitted"' and that, for existentialism, is the starting point.”
― Existentialism is a Humanism
― Existentialism is a Humanism
“What's true of all the world's ills is also true of the plague. It might help a few people grow. Nonetheless, when you see the suffering and the pain it brings, you'd have to be crazy, blind, or cowardly to resign yourself to the plague.”
― The Plague
― The Plague
“If I ask myself "Will the social ideal as such, ever become a reality?" I cannot tell, I only know that whatever may be in my power to make it so, I shall do; beyond that, I can count upon nothing.”
― Existentialism is a Humanism
― Existentialism is a Humanism
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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For those attempting the crazy feat of reading all 1001 books! For discerning bibliophiles and readers who enjoy unforgettable classic literature, 10 ...more
Abe’s 2025 Year in Books
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