There is Auschwitz, and so there cannot be God.
Primo LeviRead
They sensed that what had happened around them and in their presence, and in them, was irrevocable. Never again could it be cleansed; it would prove that man, the human species - we, in short - had the potential to construct an enormity of pain, and that pain is the only force created from nothing, without cost and without effort. It is enough not to see, not to listen, not to act.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the irreversible nature of human actions and the potential for pain within humanity.
Primo Levi's quote emphasizes the profound impact of human experiences and the lasting implications of our actions. It suggests that we possess an inherent capacity to create suffering with minimal effort or cost, highlighting the ease with which we can overlook, ignore, or remain passive in the face of adversity. This notion serves as a reminder of the responsibilities we hold in our choices and the fundamental nature of pain in human existence.
Themes
PainHumanityActionIrrevocableSuffering
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the consequences of negligence in social justice.
More from Primo Levi
All quotes →The bond between a man and his profession is similar to that which ties him to his country; it is just as complex, often ambivalent, and in general it is understood completely only when it is broken: by exile or emigration in the case of one's country, by retirement in the case of a trade or profession.
Primo LeviRead
To destroy a man is difficult, almost as difficult as to create one: it has not been easy, nor quick, but you Germans have succeeded. Here we are, docile under your gaze; from our side you have nothing more to fear; no acts of violence, no words of defiance, not even a look of judgment.
Primo LeviRead
I live in my house as I live inside my skin: I know more beautiful, more ample, more sturdy and more picturesque skins: but it would seem to me unnatural to exchange them for mine.
Primo LeviRead
Imagine now a man who is deprived of everyone he loves, and at the same time of his house, his habits, his clothes, in short, of everything he possesses: he will be a hollow man, reduced to suffering and needs, forgetful of dignity and restraint, for he who loses all often loses himself.
Primo LeviRead
The living are more demanding; the dead can wait.
Primo LeviRead
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