Famous quotes explained: « He who despairs of events is a coward, but he who hopes for the human condition is a madman. », Notebooks, Albert Camus.

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Famous quotes explained: « He who despairs of events is a coward, but he who hopes for the human condition is a madman. », Notebooks, Albert Camus.

This quote by the writer/philosopher is taken from his Notebooks, a collection of autobiographical writings. It almost perfectly reflects Camus’ thoughts.

Built on parallelism and antithesis, it opposes two ideas. Firstly, Camus reminds us of his intellectual and concrete commitment as a resistance fighter during the Second World War, notably through the journal « Combat ». For him, one should not give in to the Nazis and continue the fight. Therefore, we understand his judgment of those who do not fight events, who do not oppose them, who do not have the courage to face them: He who despairs of events is a coward.

However, the same faith in action is not found with regard to the human condition, that is to say, both its progress and its quality, its height. Here we find Camus’ pessimism about our humanity. Camus does not believe in goodness, generosity, kindness, even in a sense of life. His work, The Myth of Sisyphus, explains well that human life is doomed to eternal repetition, to tragic monotony. That is why he writes: but he who hopes for the human condition is a madman. Indeed, according to him, reason leads us to think of the human condition as a fate, a state suffered and not modifiable.

So we can see that while action is important to Camus, being cannot change.

He who despairs of events is a coward, but he who hopes for the human condition is a madman.

Links to Another quotes: Famous quotes explained: « One must eat to live, not live to eat. »The Miser, Act III, Scene V, Molière, 1668. Famous Quotes explained: « In war, it is the war of men; in peace, it is the war of ideas. », Fragments, Hugo, 1885. Famous Quotes explained: « I am weary of museums, cemeteries of the arts. » , Lamartine, Voyage en Orient, 1835. Famous Quotes Explained: « What is well conceived is clearly expressed. And the words to say it come easily. », Nicolas Boileau, The Art of Poetry, 1674. Famous Quotes Explained: « One sees clearly with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes. », The Little Prince, Saint-Exupéry, 1943. Famous quotes explained: « Education is given by the family; instruction is owed by the state. », Victor Hugo, Words and deeds, 1876. Famous Quotes explained: « One person is missing, and everything is depopulated. » Méditations poétiques, « L’Isolement », Lamartine, 1820. Famous quotes explained: « To love is to know how to say ‘I love you’ without speaking. » Victor Hugo

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