The despondency that follows makes me feel somewhat like a shipwrecked man who spies a sail, sees himself saved, and suddenly remembers that the lens of his spyglass has a flaw, a blurred spot -- the sail he has seen.
Jean GenetRead
I recognize in thieves, traitors and murderers, in the ruthless and the cunning, a deep beauty - a sunken beauty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that even the most morally corrupt individuals possess a hidden or overlooked beauty within them.
Jean Genet's quote reflects a complex understanding of human nature, proposing that individuals often labeled as 'thieves, traitors, and murderers' may embody a profound, albeit dark, beauty. This beauty is described as 'sunken,' indicating that it is not apparent on the surface and exists beneath the moral failings and social stigmas. Genet challenges the reader to look beyond conventional judgments and recognize the complexity and depth inherent in all human beings, regardless of their actions.
Themes
BeautyHuman NatureMoralityComplexityEthics
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the philosophy of morality in a university class.
More from Jean Genet
All quotes βErotic play discloses a nameless world which is revealed by the nocturnal language of lovers. Such language is not written down. It is whispered into the ear at night in a hoarse voice. At dawn it is forgotten.
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I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.
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I wanted to swallow myself by opening my mouth very wide and turning it over my head so that it would take in my whole body, and then the Universe, until all that would remain of me would be a ball of eaten thing which little by little would be annihilated: that is how I see the end of the world.
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I decided to be what crime made of me.
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It's a true image, born of a false spectacle.
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