Because,' Cormery went on, 'when I was very young, very foolish, and very much alone ... you paid attention to me and, without seeming to, you opened for me the door to everything I love in the world.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the impact of someone’s attention and kindness in opening up new possibilities in life.
In this quote, Albert Camus expresses gratitude towards a significant person from his past who provided support and understanding during a time of loneliness and immaturity. This person's attentiveness not only comforted him but also led him to discover the passions and joys that define his life, highlighting the profound influence that relationships can have on personal growth and fulfillment.
In practice
Sharing this quote during a toast at a friend's gathering to celebrate the impact of friendships.
The Poor Man whom everyone speaks of, the Poor Man whom everyone pities, one of the repulsive Poor from whom charitable souls keep their distance, he has still said nothing. Or, rather, he has spoken through the voice of Victor Hugo, Zola, Richepin. At least, they said so. And these shameful impostures fed their authors. Cruel irony, the Poor Man tormented with hunger feeds those who plead his case.
The certainty of a God giving meaning to life far surpasses in attractiveness the ability to behave badly with impunity. The choice would not be hard to make. But there is no choice and that is where the bitterness comes in. The absurd does not liberate; it binds.
Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties. Of it, at least, I am certain, and how can I deny this force crushing me.
Don't wait for the last judgment - it takes place every day.
A single sentence will suffice for modern man. He fornicated and read the papers. After that vigorous definition, the subject will be, if I may say so, exhausted.
At times I feel myself overtaken by an immense tenderness for these people around me who live in the same century.
He moved on, in the centre of a widening circle. He wasn't an enemy, he was a nemesis.
These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.
Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.
A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage is a form of gay bashing and it would do nothing to protect traditional marriages.
One never can know the whys and the wherefores of one's passional changes.
Being gay immediately placed me outside the values of the society I was growing up in. Apartheid was a very patriarchal system, so its assumptions seemed foreign to me from the outset. I've always had the advantage of alienation.
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