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
Fear can supplant our real problems only to the extent -unwilling either to assimilate or to exhaust it -we perpetuate it within ourselves like a temptation and enthrone it at the very heart of our solitude.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fear can distract us from our actual problems, but by allowing it to fester within us, we make it a central part of our solitude.
In this quote, Emile M. Cioran explores the concept of fear as a mechanism that can overshadow our true issues. He suggests that when we avoid confronting our fears, we not only fail to address our real problems, but we also allow fear to become a pervasive influence in our lives, turning it into a temptation that isolates us in our solitude. Thus, the concept of fear transforms from a mere emotion to an internal conflict that perpetuates our feelings of isolation and inaction.
Themes
FearProblemsSolitudeIsolationTemptation
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming personal barriers, I might say, 'Remember, fear can distract us from acknowledging our true problems.'
More from Emile M. Cioran
All quotes →We are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
Emile M. CioranRead
There was a time when time did not yet exist. … 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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