Nobody these days holds the written word in such high esteem as police states do.
If you find life absurd, shouldn’t you find death precisely meaningful?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that if one perceives life as absurd or meaningless, then death could be seen as having significant purpose or meaning.
Harry Mulisch's quote presents a profound philosophical inquiry into the nature of existence. It implies that the absurdity of life, often marked by its chaotic and unpredictable nature, leads to a contrasting perspective on death, presenting it as a moment of clarity or meaning. By examining the relationship between life and death, the quote encourages reflections on our own perceptions of reality and the significance we attribute to both our existence and our end.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about existentialism, one might use this quote to spark discussion about the meaning of life and death.
Similar quotes
If we were to drive out the English with the weapons with which they enslaved us, our slavery would still be with us even when they have gone.
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.
Men decided that it was better to pay taxes than to fight among themselves; better to pay tribute to one magnificent robber than to bribe them all.
The man who is seriously convinced that he deserves hell is not likely to go there, while the man who believes that he is worthy of heaven will certainly never enter that blessed place.
Your state is not at all to be measured by the opposition that sin makes to you, but by the opposition you make to it.