It is still not enough for language to have clarity and content... it must also have a goal and an imperative. Otherwise from language we descend to chatter, from chatter to babble and from babble to confusion.
Rene DaumalRead
I am dead because I have no desire,_x000D_ I have no desire because I think I possess,_x000D_ I think I possess because I do not try to give;_x000D_ Trying to give, we see that we have nothing;_x000D_ Seeing that we have nothing, we try to give ourselves,_x000D_ Trying to give ourselves, we see that we are nothing,_x000D_ Seeing that we are nothing, we desire to become,_x000D_ Desiring to become, we live.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Desire and existence are interconnected; a lack of desire leads to a sense of emptiness, while the act of giving brings purpose.
This quote by Rene Daumal explores the cyclical nature of desire and existence. It suggests that not having desire leads to a feeling of deadness, which stems from the misconception of possession. As we realize that true richness comes from giving and sharing, we confront our sense of nothingness. This realization can invoke a desire to grow and evolve, ultimately leading to a more meaningful life. The interplay between giving, self-discovery, and desire is portrayed as crucial to our vitality.
Themes
DesireGivingExistenceSelfLife
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of selflessness in life.
More from Rene Daumal
All quotes βTruth is one, but error proliferates. Man tracks it down and cuts it up into little pieces hoping to turn it into grains of truth. But the ultimate atom will always essentially be an error, a miscalculation.
Rene DaumalRead
In the mythic tradition, the Mountain is the bond between Earth and Sky. Its solitary summit reaches the sphere of eternity, and its base spreads out in manifold foothills into the world of mortals. It is the way by which man can raise himself to the divine and by which the divine can reveal itself to man.
Rene DaumalRead
The door to the invisible must be visible.
Rene DaumalRead
Art has a double face, of expression and illusion, just like science has a double face: the reality of error and the phantom of truth.
Rene DaumalRead
Common experience is the gold reserve which confers an exchange value on the currency which words are; without this reserve of shared experiences, all our pronouncements are checks drawn on insufficient funds.
Rene DaumalRead
Similar quotes
The first law of history is to dread uttering a falsehood; the next is not to fear stating the truth; lastly, the historian's writings should be open to no suspicion of partiality or animosity.
Pope Leo XiiiRead
Freedom granted only when it is known beforehand that its effects will be beneficial is not freedom.
Friedrich August Von HayekRead
I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn't just that I don't believe in God and, naturally, I hope that I'm right in my belief. It's that I hope there is no God! I don't want there to be a God; I don't want the universe to be like that.
Thomas NagelRead
Then, in the next place, we must know that every being which is endowed with reason, and transgresses its statutes and limitations, is undoubtedly involved in sin by swerving from rectitude and justice.
OrigenRead
This was not judgment day - only morning. Morning: excellent and fair.
William StyronRead
Both happiness and unhappiness depend on perception
Marcus AureliusRead