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
Limited by the world, which I oppose, jagged by it, I shall be all the more handsome and sparkling as the angles which wound me and give me shape are more acute and the jagging more cruel.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the challenges and hardships one faces can enhance their character and beauty.
Jean Genet reflects on the transformative power of adversity in this quote. He expresses that the limitations and struggles imposed by the world, while painful, contribute to a person's unique form and beauty. The sharper and more challenging the experiences, the more defined and striking one's character can become. This perspective emphasizes resilience and the idea that suffering can lead to greater depth and attractiveness in one's identity.
Themes
AdversityBeautyStruggleResilienceCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming challenges, one might use this quote to illustrate how difficulties shape who we are.
More from Jean Genet
All quotes →Erotic 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.
Jean GenetRead
I decided to be what crime made of me.
Jean GenetRead
It's a true image, born of a false spectacle.
Jean GenetRead
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