And once again I am I will not say alone, no, that's not like me, but, how shall I say, I don't know, restored to myself, no, I never left myself, free, yes, I don't know what that means but it's the word I mean to use, free to do what, to do nothing, to know, but what, the laws of the mind perhaps, of my mind, that for example water rises in proportion as it drowns you and that you would do better, at least no worse, to obliterate texts than to blacken margins, to fill in the holes of words till all is blank and flat and the whole ghastly business looks like what is, senseless, speechless, issueless misery.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author finds a paradoxical freedom in doing nothing and prefers silence over meaningless speech.
- In plain terms
- I am free to do nothing because words often make things worse.
- What can you take from it?
- Silence can be better than trying to speak meaning.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is doing nothing truly free?
- When is silence better than speech?
Another view
It suggests all human expression leads to misery.
More from Samuel Beckett
But is it true love, in the rectum? That's what bothers me sometimes.
Permalink to quote #42 To restore silence is the role of objects.
Permalink to quote #44 Don't wait to be hunted to hide, that's always been my motto.
Permalink to quote #41
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