Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
He wonders if remorse can exist before a sin, perhaps simply for existing.
In plain terms
He questions whether guilt can precede wrongdoing, even just for being alive.
What can you take from it?
Self‑condemnation can arise without any action.

Where it applies

  • dealing with existential anxiety
  • understanding pre‑emptive guilt

Putting it to work

  • practice self‑compassion
  • challenge irrational guilt

Questions to consider

  • Why do we feel guilt without cause?
  • Can existence itself be a source of remorse?

Another view

The philosophical premise is abstract and may not resonate universally.

More from Yukio Mishima

  1. At no time are we ever in such complete possession of a journey, down to its last nook and cranny, as when we are busy with preparations for it. After that, th…

    Permalink to quote #10
  2. My 'act' has ended by becoming an integral part of my nature, I told myself. It's no longer an act. My knowledge that I am masquerading as a normal person has …

    Permalink to quote #12
  3. I want to make a poem of my life.

    Permalink to quote #9

Related quotes

  1. Life may have no meaning -- or even worse, it may have a meaning of which I disapprove.

    Ashleigh BrilliantAshleigh Brilliant quote #13
  2. It is only when we realize that life is taking us nowhere that it begins to have meaning.

    P. D. OuspenskyP. D. Ouspensky quote #3
  3. D'ou venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Ou allons-nous?

    Paul GauguinPaul Gauguin quote #4