We continue to shape our personality all our life. If we knew ourselves perfectly, we should die.
Interpretation
We are constantly evolving and developing our character throughout our lives, and complete self-understanding would symbolize the end of personal growth.
This quote by Albert Camus suggests that the journey of self-discovery and personal development is a lifelong process. To fully understand ourselves could imply the cessation of growth and exploration, as life is about uncovering new facets of our personality and experiences. Hence, continuous change and introspection are essential components of our existence.
In practice
In a motivational speech about continuous self-improvement.
The Poor Man whom everyone speaks of, the Poor Man whom everyone pities, one of the repulsive Poor from whom charitable souls keep their distance, he has still said nothing. Or, rather, he has spoken through the voice of Victor Hugo, Zola, Richepin. At least, they said so. And these shameful impostures fed their authors. Cruel irony, the Poor Man tormented with hunger feeds those who plead his case.
The certainty of a God giving meaning to life far surpasses in attractiveness the ability to behave badly with impunity. The choice would not be hard to make. But there is no choice and that is where the bitterness comes in. The absurd does not liberate; it binds.
Between history and the eternal I have chosen history because I like certainties. Of it, at least, I am certain, and how can I deny this force crushing me.
Don't wait for the last judgment - it takes place every day.
A single sentence will suffice for modern man. He fornicated and read the papers. After that vigorous definition, the subject will be, if I may say so, exhausted.
At times I feel myself overtaken by an immense tenderness for these people around me who live in the same century.
Here we have the paradox, the potentially tragic paradox, that our relatedness to others is an essential aspect of our being, as is our separateness, but any particular person is not a necessary part of our being.
We must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day had been.
The internal dialogue is what grounds people in the daily world. The world is such and such or so and so, only because we talk to ourselves about its being such and such and so and so. The passageway into the world of shamans opens up after the warrior has learned to shut off his internal dialogue
Disgust is often more deeply buried than envy and anger, but it compounds and intensifies the other negative emotions.
I sometimes think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.
Things said or done long years ago Or things I did not do or say But thought that I might say or do, Weigh me down, and not a day But something is recalled, My conscience or my vanity appalled.
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