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
And all these questions I ask myself. It is not in a spirit of curiosity. I cannot be silent. About myself I need know nothing. Here all is clear. No, all is not clear. But the discourse must go on. So one invents obscurities. Rhetoric.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggle of self-understanding and the complexities of communication.
In this quote, Samuel Beckett delves into the nature of introspection and the human experience of grappling with uncertainty. He expresses a paradox where the desire for self-knowledge clashes with the realization that clarity is elusive. The 'discourse' he alludes to represents the ceaseless effort to communicate and comprehend one's thoughts and emotions, even when they are shrouded in ambiguity and rhetorical embellishments.
Themes
Self-ExaminationUncertaintyCommunicationIntrospectionRhetoric
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussing the nature of existence.
More from Samuel Beckett
All quotes →Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.
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I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.
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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.
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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.
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We lose our hair, our teeth! Our bloom, our ideals.
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