He awoke at six, as usual. He needed no alarm clock. He was already comprehensively alarmed.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the idea of being mentally alert and aware of one's surroundings without needing external prompts.
In this quote, Martin Amis illustrates the state of heightened awareness and preparedness that one can possess naturally, suggesting that certain individuals are so attuned to their environment and responsibilities that they do not require external stimuli, like an alarm clock, to wake them up. It emphasizes an inner sense of urgency and engagement with life's demands, showcasing a deeper understanding of personal consciousness and vigilance.
In practice
You can use this quote in a motivational speech about self-awareness and personal responsibility.
Oh Christ, the exhaustion of not knowing anything. It's so tiring and hard on the nerves. It really takes it out of you, not knowing anything. You're given comedy and miss all the jokes. Every hour you get weaker. Sometimes, as I sit alone in my flat in London and stare at the window, I think how dismal it is, how heavy, to watch the rain and not know why it falls.
Sometimes I feel that life is passing me by, not slowly either, but with ropes of steam and spark - spattered wheels and a hoarse roar of power or terror. It's passing, yet I'm the one who's doing all the moving.
You know how it is when two souls meet in a burst of ecstatic volubility, with hearts tickling to hear and to tell, to know everything, to reveal everything, the shared reverence for the other's otherness, a feeling of solitude radiantly snapped by full *contact* - all that?
All my adult life I have been searching for the right adjective to describe my father's peculiarly aggressive comic style. I recently settled on 'defamatory.'
Love is an abstract noun, something nebulous. And yet love turns out to be the only part of us that is solid, as the world turns upside down and the screen goes black.
Jane was my wicked stepmother: she was generous, affectionate and resourceful; she salvaged my schooling and I owe her an unknowable debt for that. One flaw: sometimes, early on, she would tell me things designed to make me think less of my mother, and I would wave her away, saying, Jane, this just backfires and makes me think less of you.
Real devotion is an unbroken receptivity to the truth. Real devotion is rooted in an awed and reverent gratitude, but one that is lucid, grounded, and intelligent.
He who knows best knows how little he knows.
He who does not arrive at the Intuition of these Truths by means of Ecstasy knows only the name of Inspiration.
We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.
There are many ways to calm a negative energy without suppressing or fighting it. You recognize it, you smile to it, and you invite something nicer to come up and replace it; you read some inspiring words, you listen to a piece of beautiful music, you go somewhere in nature, or you do some walking meditation.
To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.