Associate with the noblest people you can find; read the best books; live with the mighty; but learn to be happy alone.
Saul BellowRead
I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to me that I owe you a particularly grand letter. And so you end in the "warehouse of good intentions": "Can't do it now." "Then put it on hold." This is one's strategy for coping with old age, and with death--because one can't die with so many obligations in storage. Our clever species, so fertile and resourceful in denying its weaknesses.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the human tendency to defer obligations and the burden of unfulfilled communication as one ages.
Saul Bellow's quote explores the idea of how people often hold back from expressing their feelings or fulfilling obligations, especially as they grow older. It suggests that while thoughts of loved ones are frequent, the pressure to create the perfect correspondence leads to inaction, resulting in a mental 'warehouse' filled with unfulfilled intentions. This highlights the human tendency to procrastinate and avoid confronting personal vulnerabilities, especially concerning relationships and mortality.
Themes
CommunicationIntentionsAgingRelationshipsProcrastinationObligation
In practice
Example use cases
In a heartfelt letter to a friend who feels neglected, I might share this quote to express understanding of our shared struggles with communication.
More from Saul Bellow
All quotes βWhen we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.
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In here, the human bosom -- mine, yours, everybody's -- there isn't just one soul. There's a lot of souls. But there are two main ones, the real soul and a pretender soul. Now! Every man realizes that he has to love something or somebody. He feels that he must go outward. 'If thou canst not love, what art thou?' Are you with me?
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I've discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, 'To hell with you.'
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A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.
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Goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love.
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