Once I lived in time as a fish in water, breathing it, drinking it, sustained by it. Now I kill time and time kills me.
J. M. CoetzeeRead
Become major, Paul. Live like a hero. That's what the classics teach us. Be a main character. Otherwise what is life for?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of embracing one's own life and aspirations to truly live meaningfully.
In this quote, J. M. Coetzee encourages individuals to act as the protagonists of their own lives, suggesting that one should strive to embody heroic qualities and pursue a life of significance. The reference to the classics implies that literature provides valuable lessons on how to attain greatness and fulfillment by taking charge of one's destiny and purpose.
Themes
HeroLifeClassicsMeaningPurpose
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech, one could use this quote to inspire others to take control of their lives.
More from J. M. Coetzee
All quotes βChildren all over the world consort quite naturally with animals. They don't see any dividing line. That is something they have to be taught, just as they have to be taught it is all right to kill and eat them.
J. M. CoetzeeRead
The masters of information have forgotten about poetry, where words may have a meaning quite different from what the lexicon says, where the metaphoric spark is always one jump ahead of the decoding function, where another, unforeseen reading is always possible.
J. M. CoetzeeRead
My existence from day to day has become a matter of averting my eyes, of cringing. Death is the only truth left. Death is what I cannot bear to think. At every moment when I am thinking of something else, I am not thinking death, am not thinking the truth.
J. M. CoetzeeRead
He even knew the reason why: because enough men had gone off to war saying the time for gardening was when the war was over; whereas there must be men to stay behind and keep gardening alive, or at least the idea of gardening; because once that cord was broken, the earth would grow hard and forget her children. That was why.
J. M. CoetzeeRead
Denunciations of the manipulativeness of advertisers can unfortunately all too easily be turned on their heads into denunciations of the gullibility of consumers. Both are forms of scapegoating, neither accomplishes anything.
J. M. CoetzeeRead
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