I asked her to look at me and after a few moments - (pause) - after a few moments she did, but the eyes just slits, because of the glare I bent over her to get them in the shadow and they opened. (Pause. Low) Let me in.
Samuel BeckettRead
Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn't want them back. Not with the fire in me now. No, I wouldn't want them back.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker reflects on lost opportunities for happiness but values their current passion and zeal for life.
In this quote, Samuel Beckett acknowledges a sense of nostalgia for earlier times that seemed filled with potential for happiness. However, he emphasizes that he does not wish to return to those times, as he now possesses a fiery spirit and passion that brings a different kind of fulfillment and joy, suggesting that growth and change have made his present more valuable than his past.
Themes
HappinessNostalgiaPassionGrowthChange
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech about embracing the present.
More from Samuel Beckett
All quotes →Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.
Samuel BeckettRead
I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.
Samuel BeckettRead
And what I have, what I am, is enough, was always enough for me, and as far as my dear little sweet little future is concerned I have no qualms, I have a good time coming.
Samuel BeckettRead
I love order. It's my dream. A world where all would be silent and still, and each thing in its last place, under the last dust.
Samuel BeckettRead
We lose our hair, our teeth! Our bloom, our ideals.
Samuel BeckettRead
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That guy just cut right in front of me. But I'm not going to let it bother me. No. I'm on my way to work and I decided it doesn't matter who wants to cut in front of my lane today. I'm not going to let it bother me one bit. Once I get to work, find myself a parking space, if somebody wants to jump ahead of me and take it, I'm going to let them.
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Character is the basis of happiness and happiness the sanction of character.
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Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.
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I realized the more fun I had, the more relaxed I was working, the better I worked.
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I felt white, drained of blood, cared for, purified. Peaceful.
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One thing is certain: you can never become anything other than yourself, and unless you become yourself you cannot be happy. Happiness happens only when a rosebush grows roseflowers; when it flowers, when it has its own individuality. You may be a rosebush and trying to flower as lotus flower - that is creating insanity. Erase the mind. And the way to erase it is not by fight: the way to erase it is just to become aware.
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