The premonition of madness is complicated by the fear of lucidity in madness, the fear of the moments of return and reunion... One would welcome chaos if one were not afraid of lights in it.
Emile M. CioranRead
I have tried to protect myself against men, to react against their madness to discern its source; I have listened and I have seen--and I have been afraid of acting for the same motives or for any motive whatever, of believing in the same ghosts or in any other ghost, of letting myself be engulfed by the same intoxications or by some other... afraid, in short, of raving in common and of expiring in a horde of ecstasies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a deep fear of losing individuality and succumbing to collective madness.
In this introspective statement, Cioran articulates a profound anxiety about conformity and the dangers of being swept up in the collective emotions and beliefs of others. He expresses a desire to protect himself from the irrationality he perceives in humanity, highlighting his struggle against acting on common impulses or being influenced by shared delusions. This fear of participating in mass hysteria symbolizes a broader philosophical exploration of the tension between individuality and societal influence.
Themes
IndividualityMadnessConformitySocietyFear
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about social conformity, this quote can illustrate the risks of losing one's individuality.
More from Emile M. Cioran
All quotes →We are afraid of the enormity of the possible.
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There was a time when time did not yet exist. … The rejection of birth is nothing but the nostalgia for this time before time.
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A marvel that has nothing to offer, democracy is at once a nation's paradise and its tomb.
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Paradise was unendurable, otherwise the first man would have adapted to it; this world is no less so, since here we regret paradise or anticipate another one. What to do? Where to go? Do nothing and go nowhere, easy enough.
Emile M. CioranRead
It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.
Emile M. CioranRead
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