Some deny the existence of misery by pointing to the sun; he denies the existence of the sun by pointing to misery.
Franz KafkaRead
Suffering is the positive element in this world, indeed it is the only link between this world and the positive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Suffering connects us to the positive aspects of life and reality.
Franz Kafka's quote suggests that suffering is not merely a negative experience but a crucial component of existence that ties us to the positive elements of life. It emphasizes that through suffering, we can appreciate joy, growth, and the deeper meanings of our experiences, recognizing that adversity often leads to strength and understanding.
Themes
SufferingPositiveLifeConnectionExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about resilience, one might use this quote to illustrate how challenges lead to personal growth.
More from Franz Kafka
All quotes βOne can disintegrate the world by means of very strong light. For weak eyes the world becomes solid, for still weaker eyes it seems to develop fists, for eyes weaker still it becomes shamefaced and smashes anyone who dares to gaze upon it.
Franz KafkaRead
But Gregor understood easily that it was not only consideration for him which prevented their moving, for he could easily have been transported in a suitable crate with a few air holes; what mainly prevented the family from moving was their complete hopelessness and the thought that they had been struck by a misfortune as none of their relatives and acquaintances had ever been hit.
Franz KafkaRead
Association with human beings lures one into self-observation.
Franz KafkaRead
A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.
Franz KafkaRead
The ulterior motives with which you absorb and assimilate Evil are not your own but those of Evil. _x000D_ The animal wrests the whip from its master and whips itself in order to become master, not knowing that this is only a fantasy produced by a new knot in the master's whiplash.
Franz KafkaRead
Similar quotes
One can no more have a private religion than one can have a private sun or a private moon.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
Small rooms or dwellings discipline the mind, large ones weaken it.
Leonardo Da VinciRead
Everything that everyone is afraid of has already happened: The fragility of capitalism, which we don't want to admit; the loss of the empire of the United States; and American exceptionalism. In fact, American exceptionalism is that we are exceptionally backward in about fifteen different categories, from education to infrastructure.
James HillmanRead
God had only one Son, and He was a missionary.
David LivingstoneRead
Going back to a simpler life based on living by sufficiency rather than excess is not a step backward.
Yvon ChouinardRead
Clear, unscaleable ahead, Rise the mountains of instead From whose cold, cascading streams None may drink except in dreams
W. H. AudenRead