Those who weep for the happy periods which they encounter in history acknowledge what they want; not the alleviation but the silencing of misery.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the desire for an escape from suffering rather than a mere wish for happiness.
Albert Camus reflects on how people often mourn the past joyful moments in history, expressing longing not just for happiness itself, but for an end to suffering and misery. This suggests a deep understanding of human nature, where the weight of sorrow amplifies the appreciation of joy, prompting individuals to seek more than ephemeral bliss—they yearn for a profound resolution to their struggles.
In practice
In a discussion about the cycles of joy and suffering in history.
The Poor Man whom everyone speaks of, the Poor Man whom everyone pities, one of the repulsive Poor from whom charitable souls keep their distance, he has still said nothing. Or, rather, he has spoken through the voice of Victor Hugo, Zola, Richepin. At least, they said so. And these shameful impostures fed their authors. Cruel irony, the Poor Man tormented with hunger feeds those who plead his case.
The certainty of a God giving meaning to life far surpasses in attractiveness the ability to behave badly with impunity. The choice would not be hard to make. But there is no choice and that is where the bitterness comes in. The absurd does not liberate; it binds.
Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties. Of it, at least, I am certain, and how can I deny this force crushing me.
Don't wait for the last judgment - it takes place every day.
A single sentence will suffice for modern man. He fornicated and read the papers. After that vigorous definition, the subject will be, if I may say so, exhausted.
At times I feel myself overtaken by an immense tenderness for these people around me who live in the same century.
Memory is so crazy! It's like we've got these drawers crammed with tons of useless stuff. Meanwhile, all the really important things we just keep forgetting, one after the other.
But how awful would that be? How terrible to live surrounded by the stark, sharp, hollowness of things that simply were enough?
What most needs explanation is not why some people are criminals, but why most people are not.
It’s true that someone will always say that good and evil don’t exist: that is a person who has never had any dealings with real evil. Good is far less convincing than evil, but it’s because their chemical structures are different. Like gold, good is never found in a pure state in nature: it therefore doesn’t seem impressive. It has the unfortunate tendency not to act; it prefers, passively, to be seen.
In the country of the blind the one eyed man is king.
Does history repeat itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce? No, that's too grand, too considered a process. History just burps, and we taste again that raw-onion sandwich it swallowed centuries ago.
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