All charming people have something to conceal, usually their total dependence on the appreciation of others.
Cyril ConnollyRead
When I contemplate the accumulation of guilt and remorse which, like a garbage-can, I carry through life, and which is fed not only by the lightest action but by the most harmless pleasure, I feel Man to be of all living things the most biologically incompetent and ill-organized. Why has he acquired a seventy years life-span only to poison it incurably by the mere being of himself? Why has he thrown Conscience, like a dead rat, to putrefy in the well?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on human guilt and the burden of conscience, suggesting a deep critique of human existence.
Cyril Connolly's quote expresses a profound disillusionment with the nature of humanity, highlighting how individuals are plagued by guilt and remorse throughout their lives. He compares these feelings to a garbage can, indicating that they accumulate over time, often arising from even the simplest actions and pleasures. Connolly questions the purpose of a lengthy life when it seems to be tainted by an inherent inability to manage one's conscience and the weight of existence, suggesting a tragic view of human life.
Themes
GuiltRemorseHuman NatureConsciousnessExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of guilt, this quote serves to illustrate the psychological burden of human existence.
More from Cyril Connolly
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We are all serving a life sentence in the dungeon of the self.
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When we have ceased to love the stench of the human animal, either in others or in ourselves, then are we condemned to misery, and clear thinking can begin.
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