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
The curtain of the universe is moth-eaten, and through its holes we see nothing now but mask and ghost.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that our perception of reality is flawed and obscured by illusions.
Emile M. Cioran's quote reflects on the idea that our understanding of the universe is marred by imperfections and deception, likening it to a moth-eaten curtain. The 'mask and ghost' signify the illusions that cloud our perception, revealing the transient and often misleading nature of existence.
Themes
IllusionRealityPerceptionExistenceUniverse
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about existentialism, you might quote Cioran to illustrate the idea of subjective reality.
More from Emile M. Cioran
All quotes βWe are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
Emile M. CioranRead
There was a time when time did not yet exist. β¦ 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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It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime.
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