The great mystery is not that we should have been thrown down here at random between the profusion of matter and that of the stars; it is that from our very prison we should draw, from our own selves, images powerful enough to deny our own nothingness.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Humanity's greatness lies in creating meaning and identity despite cosmic insignificance.
- In plain terms
- We overcome our smallness by creating powerful images from within ourselves.
- What can you take from it?
- Create meaning internally to counter feelings of insignificance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you deny your nothingness?
- What images do you create?
Another view
Not everyone has the capacity or desire to create such internal images.
More from Andre Malraux
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Permalink to quote #6 Our civilization : is not devaluing its awareness of the unknowable; nor is it deifying it. It is the first civilization that has severed it from religion and …
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