I asked her to look at me and after a few moments - (pause) - after a few moments she did, but the eyes just slits, because of the glare I bent over her to get them in the shadow and they opened. (Pause. Low) Let me in.
I could not have gone through the awful wretched mess of life without having left a stain upon the silence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the struggles of life and the impact of one's existence, suggesting that all experiences leave a mark.
In this quote, Samuel Beckett expresses the idea that navigating the hardships and complexities of life inevitably leaves behind traces of our experiences and emotions. The reference to 'stain upon the silence' implies that our struggles, though they may seem quiet or unspoken, are significant and shape our existence. It suggests that life is a tumultuous journey where each individual leaves their mark, highlighting the intrinsic connection between suffering, existence, and expression.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about resilience during tough times.
More from Samuel Beckett
All quotes βNothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.
I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.
And what I have, what I am, is enough, was always enough for me, and as far as my dear little sweet little future is concerned I have no qualms, I have a good time coming.
I love order. It's my dream. A world where all would be silent and still, and each thing in its last place, under the last dust.
We lose our hair, our teeth! Our bloom, our ideals.
Similar quotes
There's a part of every living thing that wants to become itself: the tadpole into the frog, the chrysalis into the butterfly, a damaged human being into a whole one.That is spirituality.
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will.
Man need not be degraded to a machine by being denied to be a ghost in a machine.
This deep agnosticism is more than the refusal of conventional agnosticism to take a stand on whether God exists or whether the mind survives bodily death. It is the willingness to embrace the fundamental bewilderment of a finite, fallible creature as the basis for leading a life that no longer clings to the superficial consolations of certainty.
Forces of nature act in a mysterious manner. We can but solve the mystery by deducing the unknown result from the known results of similar events.
Mitt Romney is the guy who said corporations are people. No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people.