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
Woes and wonders of power, that tonic hell, synthesis of poison and panacea.
Interpretation
Power has both positive and negative aspects, serving as both a cure and a curse.
This quote by Emile M. Cioran reflects on the dual nature of power, suggesting that while it can provide solutions and benefits (a panacea), it can also bring suffering and challenges (a poison). The juxtaposition of 'woes and wonders' emphasizes the complexity of power, highlighting how closely intertwined its harmful and beneficial effects can be.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about political leadership.
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.
We are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
There was a time when time did not yet exist. β¦ The rejection of birth is nothing but the nostalgia for this time before time.
A marvel that has nothing to offer, democracy is at once a nation's paradise and its tomb.
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.
It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.
OBSTINATE, adj. Inaccessible to the truth as it is manifest in the splendor and stress of our advocacy.
Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.
The impressions of the spriritual experiences gave my future life its form and content.
I sat at the foot of a huge tree, a statue of the night, and tried to make an inventory of all I had seen, heard, smelled, and felt: dizziness, horror, stupor, astonishment, joy, enthusiasm, nausea, inescapable attraction. What had attracted me? It was difficult to say: Human kind cannot bear much reality.
Remember, purpose is about giving...All you can do with your life is to give it away in the service of others.
How do we see physically? No differently that we do in our consciousness - by means of the productive power of imagination. Consciousness is the eye and ear, the sense for inner and outer meaning.
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