Some deny the existence of misery by pointing to the sun; he denies the existence of the sun by pointing to misery.
Franz KafkaRead
The truth is always an abyss. One must — as in a swimming pool — dare to dive from the quivering springboard of trivial everyday experience and sink into the depths, in order to later rise again — laughing and fighting for breath — to the now doubly illuminated surface of things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Exploring deeper truths requires courage and a willingness to confront the unknown.
In this quote, Kafka uses the metaphor of diving into a swimming pool to illustrate the journey of discovering deeper truths about life. He suggests that one must first let go of superficial experiences, plunge into the unknown depths of understanding, and then resurface into a new reality with a clearer perspective. This process is both challenging and enlightening, as it requires courage to engage with truths that may be discomforting or profound.
Themes
TruthDepthExperienceKnowledgeCourage
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical discussion about self-discovery.
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All quotes →One 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.
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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.
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Association with human beings lures one into self-observation.
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A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.
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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.
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