Aimer ce qui existe
Il y a des choses qu’il faut bien accepter sans les comprendre ; en ce sens, nul ne vit sans religion. L’Univers est un fait ; il faut ici que la raison s’incline ; il faut qu’elle se résigne à
To think is to say no
To think is to say no. Notice that the sign for yes is that of falling asleep; while waking up shakes the head and says no. No to what? To the world, to tyrants, to preachers? That’s only the appearance.
Against racism
I don’t like to think about the problem of races. This way of thinking is rather insulting. Like deciding whether someone is intelligent or not, vain or not, brave or not. It’s tempting, but should be resisted. Not that I
The art of education
I don’t have much confidence in kindergartens and other inventions whose aim is to educate through amusement. It’s not a good method for adults. I could cite people who pass for being well educated and are bored by The Charterhouse
Fate
We don’t know how to begin anything, I mean even when stretching out one’s arm; no one begins by giving an order to the nerves and muscles; the movement begins of itself; our business is to carry it through as
Make a vow
Pessimism comes from mood; optimism from willpower. Anyone who lets themselves go is sad, which is too mild a term, and soon irritated and angry. As we can see in children’s games without rules that become a fight, and from
A duty to be happy
It’s not difficult to be unhappy or dissatisfied ; it’s enough to sit down, like a prince waiting to be entertained ; there’s a look that eyes and weighs happiness like a commodity and casts the colour of boredom over everything; not
A Library
When I see the announcement of a Library of General Culture, I hurry to the volumes, thinking to find beautiful texts, valuable translations, all the treasures of poets, politicians, moralists, thinkers. Not at all; it is, instead, well-educated and apparently
Tout pouvoir sans contrôle rend fou
Le Suffrage Universel n’inventera jamais rien de neuf. Son rôle est plutôt d’affirmer avec force des vérités aussi vieilles que le monde, que le Pouvoir est naturellement porté à oublier. Considérez l’instruction criminelle. Personne ne conteste que la publicité des
Culture Générale
Quand on m’annonce une Bibliothèque de Culture Générale, je cours aux volumes, croyant bien y trouver de beaux textes, de précieuses traductions, tout le trésor des Poètes, des Politiques, des Moralistes, des Penseurs. Mais point du tout ; ce sont