The Myth of Sisyphus
Author: Albert Camus
Background:
- French existentialist philosopher and Nobel laureate.
- A philosophical essay exploring the "absurd" and human existence.
Core Philosophy: - The fundamental question is not whether life is worth living, but how to live with inherent suffering.
- Life gains greater value precisely because it lacks inherent meaning.
Selected Quotes from "The Myth of Sisyphus"
-
On Suicide and Philosophy
"There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy." -
Meaninglessness as Liberation
"Living life with no meaning allows one to live it more fully. To experience life and accept fate is to embrace existence entirely." -
Living with Pain
"The important thing is not to be cured, but to live with one's ailments." -
Courage and Limitations
"What defines a person is not their denial of eternity but their courage to live bound by reason. Courage teaches us to live unreservedly and accept limitations, even in the face of futility." -
Rationality vs. Emotion
"Reason is a tool of thought, not thought itself. A person’s thoughts begin with their yearnings." -
Silence in Human Experience
"Half of life passes in mute hesitation, averted gazes, and unspoken words." -
On Intellectual Laziness
"Beware those who claim, 'I understand but cannot express it.' Their inability stems from ignorance or laziness." -
Wealth and Happiness
"Money becomes an end in itself, overshadowing the happiness it was meant to secure." -
Fate and Human Perception
"Humans wrongly label only suffering as 'fate,' yet luck, too, arrives without reason." -
Freedom in Mortality
"Death is life's only certainty. Beyond that, humans are free—masters of a world unshackled by illusions of transcendence." -
Nihilism Redefined
"A nihilist is not one who believes in nothing, but one who distrusts everything as it stands." -
The Illusion of Glory
"The least deceptive glory is that which is witnessed firsthand."
