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
What a pity that 'nothingness' has been devalued by an abuse of it made by philosophers unworthy of it!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Cioran suggests that the concept of 'nothingness' has been misinterpreted and diminished by those who inadequately understand it.
In this quote, Emile M. Cioran expresses his discontent with how the philosophical idea of 'nothingness' has been improperly treated by philosophers he deems unworthy. He implies that the depth and complexity of 'nothingness' should be respected and understood, rather than being trivialized by superficial interpretations.
Themes
NothingnessPhilosophyValueUnderstandingInterpretation
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate about existence, one might quote Cioran to emphasize the importance of understanding concepts like nothingness.
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
Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or a fable, it is true.
Thomas MertonRead
IMAGINATION, n. A warehouse of facts, with poet and liar in joint ownership.
Ambrose BierceRead
Without thinking or reflecting, we plunge into war, contract heavy debts, increase vastly the patronage of the Executive, and indulge in every species of extravagance, without thinking that we expose our liberty to hazard. It is a great and fatal mistake.
John C. CalhounRead
If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.
Richard BachRead
Regret is a short, evocative and achingly beautiful word: an elegy to lost possibilities even in its brief annunciation.
David WhyteRead
[The captain] looked at Florentino Ariza, his invincible power, his intrepid love and was overwhelmed by the belated suspicion that it is life, more than death, that has no limits.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead