We had yet to learn that the Devil created youth so that we could make our mistakes, and that God established maturity and old age so that we could pay for them.
Carlos Ruiz ZafonRead
It is impossible to survive in a prolonged state of reality, at least for human beings. We spend a good part of our lives dreaming, especially when we're awake.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans often escape reality through dreams and imagination, as a way to cope with life's challenges.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon suggests that human beings cannot endure a continuous confrontation with reality without seeking refuge in dreams and imagination. He highlights the importance of our inner worlds, which provide us with comfort and escape from the harshness of life, emphasizing that daydreaming is a significant part of our existence.
Themes
DreamingRealityImaginationEscapeHuman Experience
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about creativity and imagination.
More from Carlos Ruiz Zafon
All quotes →The haunting of history is ever present in Barcelona. I see cities as organisms, as living creatures. To me, Madrid is a man and Barcelona is a woman. And it's a woman who's extremely vain.
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I think today will be the day. Today our luck will change,' I proclaimed on the wings of the first coffee of the day, pure optimism in a liquid state.
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We spend a good part of our lives dreaming, especially when we're awake.
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Destiny is usually just around the corner. Like a thief, a hooker, or a lottery vendor: its three most common personifications. But what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it.
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Destiny doesn't do home visits... you have to go for it yourself.
Carlos Ruiz ZafonRead
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If truth were everywhere to be shown, a scarlet letter would blaze forth on many a bosom.
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