My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of other pessimists.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a deep skepticism about the authenticity of pessimism and the motives behind it.
Jean Rostand's quote reflects on the nature of pessimism, suggesting that not only does he hold a negative view of the world, but he also doubts the genuine concerns of others who share this outlook. This self-reflective skepticism indicates a profound sense of distrust, capturing the paradox of being pessimistic yet questioning the validity of shared pessimism. It reveals a layered understanding of human emotions and attitudes toward life and its challenges.
In practice
Discussing existential philosophy in a university lecture.
If a given scientist had not made a given discovery, someone else would have done so a little later. Johann Mendel dies unknown after having discovered the laws of heredity: thirty-five years later, three men rediscover them. But the book that is not written will never be written. The premature death of a great scientist delays humanity; that of a great writer deprives it.
Certain brief sentences are peerless in their ability to give one the feeling that nothing remains to be said.
We spend our time envying people whom we wouldn't wish to be.
Stupidity, outrage, vanity, cruelty, iniquity, bad faith, falsehood - we fail to see the whole array when it is facing in the same direction as we.
When a scientist is ahead of his times, it is often through misunderstanding of current, rather than intuition of future truth. In science there is never any error so gross that it won't one day, from some perspective, appear prophetic.
A few great minds are enough to endow humanity with monstrous power, but a few great hearts are not enough to make us worthy of using it.
All authority belongs to the people... In questions of power let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief with chains of the Constitution.
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
What needs to be kept in mind is both that capitalism is a hyper-abstract impersonal structure and that it would be nothing without our co-operation.
Masks beneath masks until suddenly the bare bloodless skull.
Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one's identity as a being of worth and dignity.
The individual's life is of importance to none besides himself: the point is whether he wishes to escape from history or give his life for it. History recks nothing of human logic
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