QuoteProject
I am dead because I have no desire,_x000D_ I have no desire because I think I possess,_x000D_ I think I possess because I do not try to give;_x000D_ Trying to give, we see that we have nothing;_x000D_ Seeing that we have nothing, we try to give ourselves,_x000D_ Trying to give ourselves, we see that we are nothing,_x000D_ Seeing that we are nothing, we desire to become,_x000D_ Desiring to become, we live.
Rene Daumal
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Desire and existence are interconnected; a lack of desire leads to a sense of emptiness, while the act of giving brings purpose.

This quote by Rene Daumal explores the cyclical nature of desire and existence. It suggests that not having desire leads to a feeling of deadness, which stems from the misconception of possession. As we realize that true richness comes from giving and sharing, we confront our sense of nothingness. This realization can invoke a desire to grow and evolve, ultimately leading to a more meaningful life. The interplay between giving, self-discovery, and desire is portrayed as crucial to our vitality.

Themes

DesireGivingExistenceSelfLife

In practice

Example use cases

A motivational speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of selflessness in life.

More from Rene Daumal

It is still not enough for language to have clarity and content... it must also have a goal and an imperative. Otherwise from language we descend to chatter, from chatter to babble and from babble to confusion.
Rene DaumalRead
Truth is one, but error proliferates. Man tracks it down and cuts it up into little pieces hoping to turn it into grains of truth. But the ultimate atom will always essentially be an error, a miscalculation.
Rene DaumalRead
In the mythic tradition, the Mountain is the bond between Earth and Sky. Its solitary summit reaches the sphere of eternity, and its base spreads out in manifold foothills into the world of mortals. It is the way by which man can raise himself to the divine and by which the divine can reveal itself to man.
Rene DaumalRead
The door to the invisible must be visible.
Rene DaumalRead
Art has a double face, of expression and illusion, just like science has a double face: the reality of error and the phantom of truth.
Rene DaumalRead
Common experience is the gold reserve which confers an exchange value on the currency which words are; without this reserve of shared experiences, all our pronouncements are checks drawn on insufficient funds.
Rene DaumalRead

Similar quotes

The visionary is the only realist.
Federico FelliniRead
The reality of the Eucharistic sacrifice has always been at the heart of Catholic faith; called into question in the 16th century, it was solemnly reaffirmed at the Council of Trent against the backdrop of our justification in Christ.
Pope Benedict XviRead
What a magical thing is the bed, and what a vulnerable, innocent creature is the sleeping human - the human who never looks more truthful or pitiful or benign; the curled-up, childlike dreaming soul who has for a few hours become an angel adrift.
Michael LeunigRead
The laws of nature are the rules according to which the effects are produced; but there must be a cause which operates according to these rules. The laws of navigation never navigated a ship. The rules of architecture never built a house.
Thomas ReidRead
Thall shall keep thy religion to thy selves.
George CarlinRead
Saying that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say.
Jean Michel JarreRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.