The premonition of madness is complicated by the fear of lucidity in madness, the fear of the moments of return and reunion... One would welcome chaos if one were not afraid of lights in it.
Emile M. CioranRead
You are done for - a living dead man - not when you stop loving but stop hating. Hatred preserves: in it, in its chemistry, resides the mystery of life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that hatred, rather than love, can keep us alive, as it fuels a deep emotional response that signifies our existence.
Emile M. Cioran's quote explores the paradoxical nature of love and hatred. While many would assume that love is the essence of life, Cioran posits that it is actually hatred that sustains us, giving us a sense of being alive. By suggesting that one becomes a 'living dead man' not when they stop loving but when they cease to feel hatred, he emphasizes that spite and animosity carry a vitality of their own, revealing how the intense emotions of hatred can be viewed as a source of energy and passion that keeps one engaged with life.
Themes
HatredLoveLifeEmotionExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of emotions.
More from Emile M. Cioran
All quotes βWe are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
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There was a time when time did not yet exist. β¦ The rejection of birth is nothing but the nostalgia for this time before time.
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A marvel that has nothing to offer, democracy is at once a nation's paradise and its tomb.
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Paradise was unendurable, otherwise the first man would have adapted to it; this world is no less so, since here we regret paradise or anticipate another one. What to do? Where to go? Do nothing and go nowhere, easy enough.
Emile M. CioranRead
It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.
Emile M. CioranRead
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