The despondency that follows makes me feel somewhat like a shipwrecked man who spies a sail, sees himself saved, and suddenly remembers that the lens of his spyglass has a flaw, a blurred spot -- the sail he has seen.
Jean GenetRead
Worse than not realizing the dreams of your youth, would be to have been young and never dreamed at all.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Having dreams in youth is essential, even if they are not realized; it's better to dream than to never try.
This quote by Jean Genet emphasizes the importance of dreaming and having aspirations during one's youth. It suggests that the experience of dreaming is valuable in itself, and not pursuing those dreams is less regrettable than growing up without any dreams or ambitions at all. The act of dreaming symbolizes hope and potential, highlighting how vital it is to foster dreams even if they remain unfulfilled.
Themes
DreamsYouthAspirationPotentialRegret
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to inspire young students.
More from Jean Genet
All quotes βErotic play discloses a nameless world which is revealed by the nocturnal language of lovers. Such language is not written down. It is whispered into the ear at night in a hoarse voice. At dawn it is forgotten.
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I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.
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I wanted to swallow myself by opening my mouth very wide and turning it over my head so that it would take in my whole body, and then the Universe, until all that would remain of me would be a ball of eaten thing which little by little would be annihilated: that is how I see the end of the world.
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I decided to be what crime made of me.
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It's a true image, born of a false spectacle.
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The rest of my days I'm going to spend on the sea. And when I die, I'm going to die on the sea. You know what I shall die of? I shall die of eating an unwashed grape. One day out on the ocean I will die β with my hand in the hand of some nice-looking ship's doctor, a very young one with a small blond moustache and a big silver watch.
Tennessee WilliamsRead