I want to spend my time with people who don't look to be respected. But such good people won't want to spend their time with me.
Osamu DazaiRead
I soon came to understand that drink, tobacco and prostitutes were all great means if dissipating (even for a few moments) my dread for human beings. I came even to feel that if I had to sell every last possession to obtain these means of escape, it would be well worth it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the use of vices as temporary escapes from the anxieties of human existence.
In this quote, Osamu Dazai expresses a profound sense of alienation and dread towards human beings, suggesting that he turns to substances and experiences commonly seen as vices—such as alcohol, tobacco, and company of prostitutes—as a means to mitigate his feelings of anxiety and despair. The intensity of his willingness to sacrifice everything for these temporary escapes highlights a deep struggle with the burdens of human connection and existence, illustrating the lengths to which one might go to alleviate emotional suffering.
Themes
EscapeVicesAnxietyHumanityDespair
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about coping mechanisms during a psychology seminar.
More from Osamu Dazai
All quotes →In my case such an expression as 'to be fallen for' or even 'to be loved' is not in the least appropriate; perhaps it describes the situation more accurately to say that I was 'looked after.
Osamu DazaiRead
Unhappiness. There are all kinds of unhappy people in the world. I suppose it would be no exaggeration to say that the world is composed entirely of unhappy people. But those people can fight their unhappiness with society fairly and squarly, and society for its part easily understands and sympathizes with such struggles. My unhappiness stemmed entirely from my own vices, and I had no way of fighting anybody.
Osamu DazaiRead
As long as I can make them laugh, it doesn’t matter how, I’ll be alright. If I succeed in that, the human beings probably won’t mind it too much if I remain outside their lives. The one thing I must avoid is becoming offensive in their eyes: I shall be nothing, the wind, the sky.
Osamu DazaiRead
To wait. In our lives we know joy, anger, sorrow, and a hundred other emotions, but these emotions all together occupy a bare one percent of our time. The remaining ninety-nine percent is just living in waiting. I wait in momentary expectation, feeling as though my breasts are being crushed, for the sound in the corridor of the footsteps of happiness. Empty. Oh, life is too painful, the reality that confirms the universal belief that it is best not to be born.
Osamu DazaiRead
It would seem that the more irresponsible and crafty one is, the more likely one is to have a talent for storytelling.
Osamu DazaiRead
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