I asked her to look at me and after a few moments - (pause) - after a few moments she did, but the eyes just slits, because of the glare I bent over her to get them in the shadow and they opened. (Pause. Low) Let me in.
Samuel BeckettRead
The tears of the world are a constant quality. For each one who begins to weep, somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that human emotions, such as joy and sorrow, are interconnected and balanced across the world.
Samuel Beckett's quote reflects on the universal nature of human emotions, asserting that for every instance of sadness, there exists a counterpart of happiness. It emphasizes the cyclical ebb and flow of emotions, suggesting that while an individual may experience sorrow, others are simultaneously experiencing joy, thereby balancing the emotional landscape of humanity as a whole.
Themes
EmotionsBalanceSorrowJoyHuman Condition
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about emotional resilience, this quote can highlight the interdependence of joy and sorrow.
More from Samuel Beckett
All quotes →Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.
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I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.
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And what I have, what I am, is enough, was always enough for me, and as far as my dear little sweet little future is concerned I have no qualms, I have a good time coming.
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I love order. It's my dream. A world where all would be silent and still, and each thing in its last place, under the last dust.
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We lose our hair, our teeth! Our bloom, our ideals.
Samuel BeckettRead
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