The despondency that follows makes me feel somewhat like a shipwrecked man who spies a sail, sees himself saved, and suddenly remembers that the lens of his spyglass has a flaw, a blurred spot -- the sail he has seen.
Jean GenetRead
I decided to be what crime made of me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a resignation to one's circumstances shaped by crime, suggesting acceptance of a self-defined identity.
Jean Genet's quote illustrates a profound acceptance of the identity forged through experiences of crime. It signifies the idea that individuals can embrace and transform the labels society places upon them, recognizing that their past does not have to dictate their future. This perspective encourages a deeper exploration of self and the societal constructs that define morality and identity.
Themes
IdentityCrimeAcceptanceSelf-DefinitionSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of one's past on their identity.
More from Jean Genet
All quotes βErotic play discloses a nameless world which is revealed by the nocturnal language of lovers. Such language is not written down. It is whispered into the ear at night in a hoarse voice. At dawn it is forgotten.
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I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.
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I wanted to swallow myself by opening my mouth very wide and turning it over my head so that it would take in my whole body, and then the Universe, until all that would remain of me would be a ball of eaten thing which little by little would be annihilated: that is how I see the end of the world.
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It's a true image, born of a false spectacle.
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Anyone who hasn't experienced the ecstasy of betrayal knows nothing about ecstasy at all.
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