Some deny the existence of misery by pointing to the sun; he denies the existence of the sun by pointing to misery.
Franz KafkaRead
The door could not be heard slamming; they had probably left it open, as is the custom in homes where a great misfortune has occurred.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the silence and absence of closing actions in the context of grief or loss.
Franz Kafka's quote suggests that in moments of great misfortune or loss, the usual sounds and actions associated with life, such as a door slamming, become muted or irrelevant. The open door symbolizes a sense of abandonment and the overwhelming presence of sorrow, indicating that in times of tragedy, normalcy is disrupted and the human experience contemplates the void left behind.
Themes
GriefLossSilenceAbsenceMisfortune
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about dealing with loss, one could reference Kafka's observation to highlight how tragedy disrupts normal life.
More from Franz Kafka
All quotes βOne can disintegrate the world by means of very strong light. For weak eyes the world becomes solid, for still weaker eyes it seems to develop fists, for eyes weaker still it becomes shamefaced and smashes anyone who dares to gaze upon it.
Franz KafkaRead
But Gregor understood easily that it was not only consideration for him which prevented their moving, for he could easily have been transported in a suitable crate with a few air holes; what mainly prevented the family from moving was their complete hopelessness and the thought that they had been struck by a misfortune as none of their relatives and acquaintances had ever been hit.
Franz KafkaRead
Association with human beings lures one into self-observation.
Franz KafkaRead
A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.
Franz KafkaRead
The ulterior motives with which you absorb and assimilate Evil are not your own but those of Evil. _x000D_ The animal wrests the whip from its master and whips itself in order to become master, not knowing that this is only a fantasy produced by a new knot in the master's whiplash.
Franz KafkaRead
Similar quotes
We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
Carl JungRead
All those evil doctrines about God that work misery and madness have their origin in the brains of the wise and prudent, not in the hearts of children.
George MacdonaldRead
in stillness, I watched myselfget eaten by mosquitoes... the itch was maddening at first but eventually it just melded into a general burning feeling and i rode that heat to a mld euphoria. I allowed the pain to lose its specific associations and become pure sensation... and that eventually lifted me out of myself and into meditation.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit. Though the world knows me not, may my thoughts and actions be such as will keep me friendly with myself.
Max EhrmannRead
There is nothing so great or so goodly in creation, but that it is a mean symbol of the gospel of Christ, and of the things He has prepared for them that love Him.
John RuskinRead
Bright was the light of my last martini on my moral horizon
Norman MailerRead