If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
A kiss without a moustache, they said then, is like an egg without salt; I will add to it: and it is like Good without Evil.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that good and evil are interconnected and that some experiences are incomplete without their contrasting elements.
Jean-Paul Sartre's quote emphasizes the idea that certain experiences, like love and affection symbolized by a kiss, are enriched by their contrasts, such as the presence of a moustache or the balance of good and evil. The analogy highlights how just as an egg is often improved by the addition of salt, our understanding and appreciation of goodness are deepened through the recognition of evil. It suggests that complexities in relationships and life add flavor and depth to our experiences.
Themes
ContrastLoveGoodEvilExperience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the complexities of love.
More from Jean-Paul Sartre
All quotes →All I want is' - and he uttered the final words through clenched teeth and with a sort of shame - 'to retain my freedom.' I should myself have thought,' said Jacques, 'that freedom consisted in frankly confronting situations into which one had deliberately entered, and accepting all one's responsibilities. But that, no doubt, is not your view.
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If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
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I wanted pure love: foolishness; to love one another is to hate a common enemy: I will thus espouse your hatred. I wanted Good: nonsense; on this earth and in these times, Good and Bad are inseparable: I accept to be evil in order to become good.
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Night is falling: at dusk, you must have good eyesight to be able to tell the Good Lord from the Devil.
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Every age has its own poetry; in every age the circumstances of history choose a nation, a race, a class to take up the torch by creating situations that can be expressed or transcended only through poetry.
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