Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.
Eugene O'NeillRead
It was a great mistake, my being born a man, I would have been much more successful as a seagull or a fish. As it is, I will always be a stranger who never feels at home, who does not really want and is not really wanted, who can never belong, who must be a little in love with death!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects deep existential feelings of alienation and longing for belonging.
Eugene O'Neill's quote expresses the profound sense of detachment and dissatisfaction with human existence. The speaker feels that being born a man was a mistake, longing instead for the simplicity and freedom of being a seagull or a fish—creatures unburdened by the complexities of human emotions and societal expectations. This sense of being a 'stranger' highlights a common human struggle with identity, belonging, and acceptance, leading to a melancholic acknowledgment of mortality.
Themes
AlienationBelongingIdentityExistentialismLonging
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about identity and belonging, one may use this quote to illustrate the feeling of being an outsider.
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When you're 50 you start thinking about things you haven't thought about before. I used to think getting old was about vanity - but actually it's about losing people you love. Getting wrinkles is trivial.
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I have had my dance with Folly, nor do I shirk the blame; I have sipped the so-called Wine of Life and paid the price of shame; But I know that I shall find surcease, the rest my spirit craves, Where the rainbows play in the flying spray, 'Mid the keen salt kiss of the waves.
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There is no present or future-only the past, happening over and over again-now.
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