Some deny the existence of misery by pointing to the sun; he denies the existence of the sun by pointing to misery.
Franz KafkaRead
I never wish to be easily defined.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire for complexity and depth in one's identity rather than being easily categorized or understood.
Franz Kafka's quote highlights the importance of individuality and the rich layers that make up a person's identity. The speaker expresses a wish to escape simplistic definitions, suggesting that human experiences and emotions are multifaceted and cannot be fully captured by labels or straightforward interpretations.
Themes
IdentityIndividualityComplexitySelf-DefinitionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech about pursuing personal passions.
More from Franz Kafka
All quotes βOne can disintegrate the world by means of very strong light. For weak eyes the world becomes solid, for still weaker eyes it seems to develop fists, for eyes weaker still it becomes shamefaced and smashes anyone who dares to gaze upon it.
Franz KafkaRead
But Gregor understood easily that it was not only consideration for him which prevented their moving, for he could easily have been transported in a suitable crate with a few air holes; what mainly prevented the family from moving was their complete hopelessness and the thought that they had been struck by a misfortune as none of their relatives and acquaintances had ever been hit.
Franz KafkaRead
Association with human beings lures one into self-observation.
Franz KafkaRead
A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.
Franz KafkaRead
The ulterior motives with which you absorb and assimilate Evil are not your own but those of Evil. _x000D_ The animal wrests the whip from its master and whips itself in order to become master, not knowing that this is only a fantasy produced by a new knot in the master's whiplash.
Franz KafkaRead
Similar quotes
[Islam] is the dynamic conviction that a person's spiritual and worldly responsibilities are one and the same, that an individuals duty to the community is indistinguishable from his or her duty to God.
Reza AslanRead
Commerce is of trivial import; love, faith, truth of character, the aspiration of man, these are sacred.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
The words I AM are your sacred identification as God- your highest self. Take care how you use this terms because saying anything after I AM that's incongruent with God is really taking the Lord's name in vain!
Wayne DyerRead
I felt like a Tinker toy kid building my own self out of one of those toy building sets; for as she laid her life before me, I reassembled the tableau of her words like a picture puzzle, and as I did, so my own life was rebuilt.
James McbrideRead
Each of us creates his or her own life largely by our attitude.
Earl NightingaleRead
The tongue may be an unruly member-- But silence poisons the soul.
Edgar Lee MastersRead