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Life knows us not and we do not know life—-we don’t know even our own thoughts. Half the words we use have no meaning whatever and of the other half each man understands each word after the fashion of his own folly and conceit. Faith is a myth and beliefs shift like mists on the shore; thoughts vanish; words, once pronounced, die; and the memory of yesterday is as shadowy as the hope of tomorrow
Joseph Conrad
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the complexity and ambiguity of life, language, and understanding. It suggests that our perceptions and beliefs are often rooted in uncertainty and personal interpretations.

Joseph Conrad's quote delves into the intricate relationship between life, language, and perception. He articulates that our understanding of life is not definitive; instead, it is clouded by our subjective interpretations. The assertion that 'faith is a myth' and 'beliefs shift like mists' speaks to the transient nature of human convictions and thoughts. Words, which are meant to convey meaning, often fall short, leaving us with a nebulous grasp of both our past and future.

Themes

LifeLanguageUnderstandingBeliefPhilosophyUncertainty

In practice

Example use cases

During a philosophy class discussing the nature of reality.

More from Joseph Conrad

It is when we try to grapple with another man's intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensible, wavering and misty are the beings that share with us the sight of the stars and the warmth of the sun. It is as if loneliness were a hard and absolute condition of existence; the envelope of flesh and blood on which our eyes are fixed melts before the outstretched hand, and there remains only the capricious, unconsolable and elusive spirit that no eye can follow, no hand can grasp.
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I think it had whispered to him things about himself which he did not know, things of which he had no conception till he took counsel with this great solitude - and the whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating. It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core.
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Hang ideas! They are tramps, vagabonds, knocking at the back-door of your mind, each taking a little of your substance, each carrying away some crumb of that belief in a few simple notions you must cling to if you want to live decently and would like to die easy!
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Joy and sorrow in this world pass into each other, mingling their forms and their murmurs in the twilight of life as mysterious as an overshadowed ocean, while the dazzling brightness of supreme hopes lies far off, fascinating and still, on the distant edge of the horizon
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The artist appeals to that part of our being...which is a gift and not an acquisition - and, therefore, more permanently enduring.
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History repeats itself, but the special call of an art which has passed away is never reproduced. It is as utterly gone out of the world as the song of a destroyed wild bird.
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A little wisdom, now and then

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Quote by Joseph Conrad | QuoteProject