The premonition of madness is complicated by the fear of lucidity in madness, the fear of the moments of return and reunion... One would welcome chaos if one were not afraid of lights in it.
Emile M. CioranRead
In most cases we attach ourselves to in order to take revenge on life, to punish it, to signify we can do without it, that we have found something better, and we also attach ourselves to God in horror of men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the human tendency to seek attachments as a means of coping with life's challenges and disappointments.
Emile M. Cioran explores the complex relationship between human attachments and our struggles with existence. He suggests that people often cling to various aspects of life, including beliefs and relationships, not just for fulfillment, but also as a reaction to the pain and dissatisfaction that life brings. This emphasis on attachment can be seen as both a coping mechanism and a form of rebellion against the harsh realities of the world, indicating a desire for something beyond our current suffering.
Themes
AttachmentLifeStruggleRevengeCopingPainGod
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of human attachments and suffering.
More from Emile M. Cioran
All quotes →We are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
Emile M. CioranRead
There was a time when time did not yet exist. … The rejection of birth is nothing but the nostalgia for this time before time.
Emile M. CioranRead
A marvel that has nothing to offer, democracy is at once a nation's paradise and its tomb.
Emile M. CioranRead
Paradise was unendurable, otherwise the first man would have adapted to it; this world is no less so, since here we regret paradise or anticipate another one. What to do? Where to go? Do nothing and go nowhere, easy enough.
Emile M. CioranRead
It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.
Emile M. CioranRead
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