At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face.
Interpretation
The quote illustrates the unexpected and often overwhelming nature of existential feelings in everyday life.
Albert Camus speaks to the sudden realization of life's absurdity that can be encountered anywhere, emphasizing that such profound moments can interrupt the mundane experiences of everyday existence. These feelings provoke introspection and highlight the disconnection between human desires for meaning and the indifferent universe, suggesting that such absurd encounters are inherent to the human condition.
In practice
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of existence at a cafΓ©.
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.
Because in some men it is in them to give up everything personal at some time, before it ferments and poisons--throw it to some human being or some human idea. They have to.
An idea's birth is legitimate if one has the feeling that one is catching oneself plagiarizing oneself.
My whole wretched life swam before my weary eyes, and I realized no matter what you do it's bound to be a waste of time in the end so you might as well go mad.
What makes you think that nonsense is bad? If they'd nurtured and cared for human nonsense over the ages the way they did intelligence, it might have turned into something of special value.
Each of us is incomplete compared to someone else - an animal's incomplete compared to a person... and a person compared to God, who is complete only to be imaginary.
Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it.
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