We burned with love for ourselves, all of us, starters of the fire we suffered- our love was the affliction for which only our love was the cure.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
[...]It is as if after surviving so much, there was no longer reason to survive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a sense of existential exhaustion after enduring numerous challenges, suggesting a loss of purpose.
In this quote, Jonathan Safran Foer captures the profound sense of fatigue that can arise after facing relentless struggles and adversities. It explores the idea that surviving overwhelming difficulties might strip away the motivation to continue striving for a better life, leaving one questioning the very reason for their existence. This sentiment resonates with many who have confronted significant trials, emphasizing the psychological impact of survival itself.
Themes
ExistenceSurvivalPurposeFatigueAdversity
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about perseverance, one might say, 'As Jonathan Safran Foer reminds us, surviving hardships can sometimes lead to questioning our purpose.'
More from Jonathan Safran Foer
All quotes βMemory was supposed to fill the time, but it made time a hole to be filled. Each second was two hundred yards, to be walked, crawled. You couldn't see the next hour, it was so far in the distance. Tomorrow was over the horizon, and would take an entire day to reach.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
She was not crying Which surprised me very much But I understand now That she had found places For her melancholy That were behind more masks Than only her eyes
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
What do babies dream of? She must be dreaming of the before-life, just as I dream of the afterlife.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
A few weeks after the worst day, I started writing lots of letters. I don't know why, but it was one of the only things that made my boots lighter.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
What is being awake if not interpreting our dreams, or dreaming if not interpreting our wake?
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
Similar quotes
One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.
James Earl JonesRead
Some things don't last forever, but some things do. Like a good song, or a good book, or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down on the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there.
Sarah DessenRead
Going down (descending), I realized, was like taking hold of the loose strand of yard on a sweater you'd just spent hours knitting and pulling it until the entire sweater unraveled into a pile of string. Hiking the PCT was the maddening effort of knitting that sweater and unraveling it over and over again. As if everything gained was inevitably lost.
Cheryl StrayedRead
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and with that one, is what we are doing.
Annie DillardRead
It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
Laura Ingalls WilderRead
Through life's ups and downs, and the few mistakes we make and all the successes that we get, let nobody - nobody's opinion - define who you are. And if anybody defines who you are, let it be yourself.
Mahira KhanRead