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
Nothing is so wearing as the possession or abuse of liberty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Liberty can be exhausting, whether it is used wisely or misused.
This quote by Emile M. Cioran suggests that the concept of liberty is not entirely freeing; rather, it can become a burden. The responsibilities that come with being free or the potential stress from the misuse of freedom can lead to a sense of weariness, highlighting the complex nature of liberty in human life.
Themes
LibertyFreedomBurdenResponsibilityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the challenges of personal freedom at a philosophical seminar.
More from Emile M. Cioran
All quotes βWe are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
Emile M. CioranRead
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.
Emile M. CioranRead
A marvel that has nothing to offer, democracy is at once a nation's paradise and its tomb.
Emile M. CioranRead
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
Similar quotes
Light-skinned privilege is largely through a white lens. It is exploited by oppressive forces... It was always a facade.
Kendrick SampsonRead
I am stealing the golden vessels of the Egyptians to build a tabernacle to my God from them, far far away from the boundaries of Egypt. If you forgive me, I shall rejoice; if you are enraged with me, I shall bear it. See, I cast the die, and I write the book. Whether it is to be read by the people of the present or of the future makes no difference: let it await its reader for a hundred years, if God himself has stood ready for six thousand years for one to study him.
Johannes KeplerRead
It is almost impossible to exaggerate the proneness of the human mind to take miracles as evidence, and to seek for miracles as evidence.
Matthew ArnoldRead
The more we study the major problems of our time, the more we come to realise that they cannot be understood in isolation. They are systemic problems, which means that they are interconnected and interdependent.
Fritjof CapraRead
Hours and days and months and years go by; the past returns no more, and what is to be we cannot know; but whatever the time gives us in which we live, we should therefore be content.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
The basis of democratic freedom is freedom of speech.
Aung San Suu KyiRead