The premonition of madness is complicated by the fear of lucidity in madness, the fear of the moments of return and reunion... One would welcome chaos if one were not afraid of lights in it.
Emile M. CioranRead
There was a time when time did not yet exist. … The rejection of birth is nothing but the nostalgia for this time before time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the concept of existence and the longing for a state before time began.
Emile M. Cioran's quote delves into the philosophical idea of a timeless state of being that predates our current existence. It suggests that the rejection of the act of birth is a yearning for a primordial void, a nostalgia for an existence devoid of the complexities and burdens that time brings, inviting contemplation on the nature of life and existence itself.
Themes
TimeExistenceNostalgiaPhilosophyBirth
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of existence, this quote could be used to illustrate the complexity of time.
More from Emile M. Cioran
All quotes →We are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
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A marvel that has nothing to offer, democracy is at once a nation's paradise and its tomb.
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Paradise was unendurable, otherwise the first man would have adapted to it; this world is no less so, since here we regret paradise or anticipate another one. What to do? Where to go? Do nothing and go nowhere, easy enough.
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It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.
Emile M. CioranRead
Ambition is a drug that makes its addicts potential madmen.
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