I like these people swarming on the sidewalks, wedged into a little space of houses and canals, hemmed in by fogs, cold lands, and the sea streaming like a wet wash. I like them, for they are double. They are here and elsewhere.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the duality of human existence and the connection people have to their environment.
In this quote, Albert Camus expresses an appreciation for the complexity of individuals, who are influenced by their surroundings and simultaneously possess an inner life that transcends their immediate reality. The imagery of being 'hemmed in' by the cold and fog evokes a sense of confinement and existential struggle, while the notion of being 'double' suggests that people experience both their tangible reality and a more profound, often hidden, existence.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about urban life and the complexities of human relationships.
The Poor Man whom everyone speaks of, the Poor Man whom everyone pities, one of the repulsive Poor from whom charitable souls keep their distance, he has still said nothing. Or, rather, he has spoken through the voice of Victor Hugo, Zola, Richepin. At least, they said so. And these shameful impostures fed their authors. Cruel irony, the Poor Man tormented with hunger feeds those who plead his case.
The certainty of a God giving meaning to life far surpasses in attractiveness the ability to behave badly with impunity. The choice would not be hard to make. But there is no choice and that is where the bitterness comes in. The absurd does not liberate; it binds.
Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties. Of it, at least, I am certain, and how can I deny this force crushing me.
Don't wait for the last judgment - it takes place every day.
A single sentence will suffice for modern man. He fornicated and read the papers. After that vigorous definition, the subject will be, if I may say so, exhausted.
At times I feel myself overtaken by an immense tenderness for these people around me who live in the same century.
In the Christianity of Christendom the Cross has become something like the child’s hobby-horse and trumpet.
One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ.
Our country does not believe in the concept of your God and my God. We believe that all gods are one. We have different ways of accepting Him. All ways lead to Him.
Conversion for me was not a Damascus Road experience. I slowly moved into an intellectual acceptance of what my intuition had always known.
Economics make homeopath and alternative healers look empirical and scientific.
Champagne had the taste of an apple peeled with a steel knife.
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