The man's thirst for guilt was insatiable as the desert's for water.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- His craving for guilt is endless, like a desert thirsting for water.
- In plain terms
- He cannot stop seeking blame, just as a desert never quenches thirst.
- What can you take from it?
- Obsessive self‑punishment is unfulfilling.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does guilt become harmful?
- How can one break the cycle?
Another view
Some guilt can be constructive.
More from Thomas Pynchon
There was no difference between the behavior of a god and the operations of pure chance.
Permalink to quote #39 It's a Rocket-raising: a festival new to this country. Soon it will come to the folk-attention how close Wernher von Braun's birthday is to the Spring Equinox,…
Permalink to quote #41 Paranoids are not paranoid because they're paranoid, but because they keep putting themselves, fucking idiots, deliberately into paranoid situations.
Permalink to quote #38
Related quotes
'Can't hear you. I'm inside my protective blanket of fear.'
Scott R. KurtzScott R. Kurtz quote #1 Guilt: the gift that keeps on giving.
Erma BombeckErma Bombeck quote #13 One advantage of remorse is that it sets the stage for consolation.
John LeonardJohn Leonard quote #22