The greedy search for money or success will almost always lead men into unhappiness. Why? Because that kind of life makes them depend upon things outside themselves.
Andre MauroisRead
Men fear silence as they fear solitude, because both give them a glimpse of the terror of life's nothingness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People are afraid of silence and solitude because they reveal the emptiness of life.
This quote suggests that silence and solitude serve as mirrors to our inner thoughts, exposing the existential fears and anxieties we may have about the meaning of life. The discomfort associated with these states highlights humanity's struggle with the inherent emptiness and profound questions that life presents when stripped of distraction and noise.
Themes
SilenceSolitudeFearExistenceEmptinessLife
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation session, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of embracing silence.
More from Andre Maurois
All quotes βIt is better to teach a few things perfectly than many things indifferently...
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Lost Illusion is the undisclosed title of every novel.
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If you create an act, you create a habit. If you create a habit, you create a character. If you create a character, you create a destiny.
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A man cannot free himself from the past more easily than he can from his own body.
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