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
A marvel that has nothing to offer, democracy is at once a nation's paradise and its tomb.
Interpretation
Democracy can bring great benefits but also has inherent flaws that can lead to a nation's decline.
Cioran's quote reflects the dual nature of democracy, portraying it as both a beautiful ideal and a potential source of downfall. He suggests that while democracy offers freedom and opportunity, it can also lead to complacency and deterioration if not properly maintained, highlighting the paradox of a system that is simultaneously a utopia and a graveyard for nations.
In practice
In a political debate, to discuss the complexities of democracy.
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.
We are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
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.
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.
It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.
Ambition is a drug that makes its addicts potential madmen.
Autobiography is usually honest but it is never truthful.
Do not look at the faces in the illustrated papers. Look at the faces in the street.
Our government's got a war on drugs. That's certainly better than no drugs at all.
As there is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it, so reasonable arguments, challenges to magnanimity, and appeals to sympathy or justice, are folly when we are dealing with human crocodiles and boa-constrictors.
What have I done? I've blundered my way through life. So I have my picture on the wall. The minute I die, that picture will start to yellow and fade and eventually be gone. Blown in the wind and become part of the molecular structure of something else. These things we see as "success," they're non-accomplishments.
This is essentially a people's contest... whose leading object is to elevate the condition of men - to lift artificial weights from all shoulders - to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all - to afford all, an unfettered start and a fair chance, in the race of life.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.