If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
The sun is not ridiculous, quite the contrary. On everything I like, on the rust of the construction girders, on the rotten boards of the fence, a miserly, uncertain light falls, like the look you give, after a sleepless night, on decisions made with enthusiasm the day before, on pages you have written in one spurt without crossing out a word.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the complexity of human perception and the interplay between light and darkness in our choices and creations.
In this quote, Sartre illustrates how the sun, often a symbol of clarity and optimism, casts a hesitant and insufficient light on various aspects of life, including our decisions, creative expressions, and the passage of time. The imagery of light touching rust and decay symbolizes a deeper reflection on the aftermath of enthusiasm and the critical light that comes from hindsight, suggesting that our choices are often more complicated than they appear in the moment.
Themes
PerceptionLightDecisionsReflectionEnthusiasmLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the complexities of choices during a motivational talk.
More from Jean-Paul Sartre
All quotes →All I want is' - and he uttered the final words through clenched teeth and with a sort of shame - 'to retain my freedom.' I should myself have thought,' said Jacques, 'that freedom consisted in frankly confronting situations into which one had deliberately entered, and accepting all one's responsibilities. But that, no doubt, is not your view.
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If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
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A kiss without a moustache, they said then, is like an egg without salt; I will add to it: and it is like Good without Evil.
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I wanted pure love: foolishness; to love one another is to hate a common enemy: I will thus espouse your hatred. I wanted Good: nonsense; on this earth and in these times, Good and Bad are inseparable: I accept to be evil in order to become good.
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Night is falling: at dusk, you must have good eyesight to be able to tell the Good Lord from the Devil.
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