Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
Indolence and melancholy: Each generates the other. If one can speak of such feeble passions as generating anything.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Indolence and melancholy are interconnected, where one can lead to the other, creating a cycle of weakness.
In this quote, Edward Abbey reflects on the relationship between indolence (a state of laziness) and melancholy (a feeling of deep sadness). He suggests that these two states of being are mutually reinforcing; when someone is lazy, it can lead to feelings of sadness, and conversely, feeling sad can lead to a lack of motivation or activity. Abbey's choice of words highlights the weakness inherent in these emotions and the profound impact they can have on a person's life.
Themes
IndolenceMelancholyCyclePassionsWeakness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about mental health and the importance of combating laziness to avoid feelings of sadness.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
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The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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