The 90 best phrases of Albert Camus
The human being seeks to give meaning to his existence. Why we are here and what is the purpose of everything around us are questions that we all ask ourselves on occasion.
However, none of these questions ever find any valid answer, perhaps because existence does not have any kind of meaning or sense. It simply is. This leaves us in an absurd position when trying to give meaning or meaning to something that does not have it. This concept forms the basis of the philosophical thought of Albert Camus, journalist, playwright, writer and philosopher of Algerian origin.
Born in 1913, this well-known writer who would receive the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature worked throughout his work on concepts such as the aforementioned absurdism, the search for the freedom, rebellion against absurdity (including art as a way of expressing it), morality (an essential element for him), manipulation or relationships personal. In this article I have selected 90 Albert Camus Quotes to get acquainted with the thought of him.
- Related article: "123 wise phrases to reflect on life"
90 of the best phrases of Albert Camus
Below you can see some of the best phrases of Camus that help to get a clearer idea of his philosophical thinking and better understand his work.
1. The absurd arises from the confrontation between the search for the human being and the irrational silence of the world
For Camus, life and existence do not have a meaning or meaning that we can find, so when we try to make sense of the reality and we realize that it acts indifferently to our claims to signify it, the feeling arises that we are committing a absurdity.
2. Any man, around the corner, can experience the sensation of absurdity, because everything is absurd
The explanations that we try to give to life and what happens to us fail to be rationally sustained, since reality is chaotic and without order. That is why we can all feel absurdity, since there is no metaphysical sense for what we do or live.
- Related article: "Existential crisis: when we do not find meaning in our life"
3. Not being loved is a simple misfortune. The true fatality is to not know how to love
The person you love may not be reciprocated, but it is the person who is not capable of loving who is going to lead a sadder life.
4. What we do may not always bring happiness, but if we do nothing, there will be no happiness
This reflection pushes us to act despite the fact that we may err and make mistakes, because it is the only way to achieve our dreams.
5. A true friend is the one who comes when everyone is gone
Sometimes we make the mistake of considering a friend who is when things are going well. It is in the hard, difficult moments, when you are going to notice who is there and really cares about you.
6. Happy and tried or acquitted and miserable
Camus pushes us to live independently of the judgment of others regarding our actions in order to be happy.
7. Each generation, without a doubt, believes itself destined to remake the world. Mine knows, however, that she will not remake it. But your task may be greater. It consists of preventing the world from stopping
Camus lived between 1913 and 1960. His generation experienced the horrors of World War I, the rise of fascism, and World War II.
8. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow you. Don't walk behind me, I may not guide you. Walk next to me and be your friend
This phrase reflects the notion of equality between people, the need to consider us all equally and that there is no one above or below.
9. They rule today... because you obey!
A single person cannot direct anything if others do not give him authority. In the absence of obedience, power is lost. We are invited to fight against what we consider unfair.
- You may be interested: "75 phrases and reflections of Michel Foucault"
10. Looking for what is true is not looking for what one wants
The truth can be painful and not conform to our wishes and intentions, but this does not mean that it should stop being sought. The fact that things are meaningless can be difficult to conjure, but that possibility should be explored.
11. I cry that I do not believe in anything and that everything is absurd, but I cannot doubt my cry and I need, at least, to believe in my protest
As much as things may not make sense, they are still there. What we elaborate in order to try to understand them and what we do about them is important.
12. If all experiences are indifferent, the experience of duty is as legitimate as any other. One can be virtuous on a whim
Elements such as duty and obligation are taken as absolute and they cause us to do things that we do not want or would not do if it were up to us. If we do things it is not necessarily because we have a duty to do them. We can do them because we want to. In the same way, we do not have to behave in a certain way because we should or others consider it to be usual or necessary.
13. I qualify as stupid who he fears to enjoy
This phrase tells us that we must dare to enjoy life and what it offers us.
14. Success is easy to obtain. The difficult thing is to deserve it
Getting something does not imply that it is deserved. It occurs with aspects such as power, loyalty or even love.
15. When man subjects God to moral judgment, he kills him in his heart
Camus considered that morality should be away from religiosity, although he considered the latter as a way of trying to make sense of existence.
16. Man has two faces: he cannot love without loving himself
To love others it is necessary to love yourself. The person who does not love himself to some degree cannot manifest love.
17. All generosity towards the future lies in giving everything to the present
Fighting against what we consider unjust today is what will make tomorrow the situation can be better for those who live it.
18. In the depths of winter I finally learned that an invincible summer dwells within me
As bad as we are going through it and as much as we suffer, in all of us there is something good and hope, even if it is buried, for a better future.
19. In man there are more things worthy of admiration than contempt
Despite the brutality and cruelty that human beings are capable of manifesting, inside people there are many more positive and admirable aspects: love, loyalty, perseverance, effort, art, search for freedom and Justice…
20. In politics, it is the means that must justify the end
Using any means in order to achieve a certain objective is not admissible. Wanting to achieve a certain result does not exempt from the fault of the means employed for this, especially when you are playing with lives.
21. Totalitarian tyranny is not built on the virtues of the totalitarians but on the faults of the democrats
The rise of totalitarian and fascist powers it is not because your ideology is correct but rather that certain aspects of democratic procedures are not applied correctly and they put aside part of reality, causing suffering that in some people generates reactance.
22. Stupidity always insists
There will always be people or situations that act irresponsibly and without taking into account the repercussions of their actions on themselves or on others, even repeating past mistakes.
23. The only way to deal with this world without freedom is to become so absolutely free that your mere existence is an act of rebellion.
Even if it is forbidden to us, we must live long as we are judged. Living free can mean being persecuted, but it is necessary if we want to live and not just survive.
24. People are never convinced of your reasons, your sincerity, your seriousness or your sufferings, except if you die
Camus states in this sentence that the intentions and motivations of each person are going to be continually questioned by others.
25. What is man? But there, stop because we know. Man is that force that always ends up expelling tyrants and gods
The human being as a seeker of freedom and rights, always ends up rebelling against abuse and coercion.
26. The need to be correct, the sample of a vulgar mind
For Camus, we must be free. Being politically correct and striving to be so means limiting your own freedom.
27. Charm is the way to get the answer "yes" without having asked a clear question.
In this sentence the author expresses that the ability to seduce and persuade supposes the ability to establish a profound influence on others.
28. No man is hypocritical in his pleasures
We can be hypocritical in our actions, thoughts or intentions. But when it comes to feeling pleasure and joy, we are sincere and free.
29. For most men, war is the end of loneliness. For me it is the infinite loneliness
Factions are established in war, factions to which those who subscribe can feel part of something. However, deep down it supposes make the other non-significant, stop being human to be an enemy regardless of what that person previously meant. In war we are alone.
30. A man without ethics is a wild beast released into this world
The fact that we are free does not imply doing what we want when we want. It is necessary to act based on ethics and take into account that our actions affect others.
31. Innocent is the one who does not need to explain
He who is not guilty has nothing to justify himself, no matter how much others pretend that he does.
32. The great Carthage led three wars: after the first he still had power; after the second it was still habitable; after the third it is no longer on the map
War destroys us and progressively weakens us.
33. A free press can be good or bad, but without freedom the press will never be anything but bad
The author indicates the need for freedom so that the truth can be sought without being alienated or censored by political interests or economic. Censorship implies that the professional cannot fully reflect the perception of him.
34. Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is
For the author, the human being is the only being who is repressed and is repressed in his instincts and in the expression of his nature.
35. To create is to live twice
Creativity is a way of expressing freedom and rebelling against the absurdity of the world. In addition to expressing ourselves, he gives life to what we carry inside in a palpable way for the rest of the world.
36. One cannot side with those who make history, but at the service of those who suffer from it
There is a lot of talk about the great figures of history and when we talk about a specific event, people tend to think of those figures. However, who really suffered the consequences and lived and participated in the change are often unknown and forgotten people.
We do not remember the child who died of hunger due to the approval of a certain policy, the doctor who saved the lives of hundreds of wounded from war, the civilians bombarded by something in which they had no power of decision or the private soldier who died defending the ideas of others.
37. If man fails to reconcile justice and liberty, he fails in everything
Freedom and justice must go hand in hand to configure a society that can be free as a whole, not just for some subjects.
38. You cannot gain experience by doing experiments. You cannot create the experience. You must experience it
The experience is only acquired through the experience. We must live if we want to have experience. This phrase prompts us to live and not limit ourselves to theorizing about what things suppose.
39. We will rarely trust someone who is better than us
The perception of inequality tends to generate mistrust if the other is seen as superior.
40. Duty is what you expect from others
Duty is nothing more than someone's expectation of what he expects others to do.
41. Autumn is a second spring, where every leaf is a flower
This phrase has two readings: on the one hand it can refer to the process of mature with age, while on the other hand it can refer to the period of peace prior to a conflict.
42. In a man's attachment to his life there is something stronger than all the miseries in the world
The desire to live is one of the most powerful forces. Living, even in the most adverse circumstances, is always worth it.
43. I have seen people do wrong with a lot of morals and I find every day that honesty does not need rules
Being honest does not mean doing what the world tells us to do. We must be ethical, but not blindly follow what social morality dictates.
44. Sad people have two reasons for being sad: they ignore and despair
For Camus sadness is due to the despair caused by ignorance.
45. Who needs pity but those who have no compassion on anyone!
Generally those who do not show mercy are those who have experienced specific situations that have made them perceive reality in a certain way.
46. Men cry because things are not as they should be
The human being tries make sense of a reality that he doesn't have it and that they can't control or understand it, which generates his frustration.
47. What is a rebel? A man who says no
Being a rebel means refusing to accept what is stipulated and not acting according to what has been established if this violates our principles.
48. If the world were clear, art would not exist
Camus sees art as a form of rebellion against absurdity, of expressing our anxiety and our anguish at its indeterminacy.
49. All men's misfortunes come from not speaking out
The existence of conflicts is due to the lack of understanding between people, caused mainly by the use of ambiguity and the non-expression of what is really thought.
50. There is nothing more despicable than respect based on fear
Authority based on fear is not authentic authority, but its forcing.
51. Disease is the most fearsome tyrant
When we think of a tyrant we usually think of a person, but other elements of life are equally fearsome. Like for example the disease.
52. They told me that some dead were necessary to reach a world where they would not kill themselves
Camus criticizes the idea that the end justifies the means, especially when the means totally contradicts the end.
53. Artists think according to words and philosophers according to ideas
Art and thought focus on different aspects of the same reality.
54. For every free man who falls, ten slaves are born and the future darkens a little more
The loss of people who illustrate an ideal such as freedom means that the rest of the population loses inspiration and ends up abandoning their search.
55. The moment I am no longer more than a writer, I will have ceased to be a writer
The person who expresses himself is much more than a person who expresses himself. If it were only that, I would not be able to express anything since I would have no content.
56. Giving oneself does not make sense except if one possesses oneself
This phrase reflects that a person cannot surrender if he is not master of himself, if he does not consider that he has something of his own to deliver.
57. Judging whether or not life is worth living is the fundamental answer to the sum of philosophical questions
For Camus the main philosophical problem it is knowing if life is worth living.
58. Everyone insists on their innocence at all costs, even if it means accusing the rest of the human race and even heaven.
Most people are indulgent with themselves and do not consider themselves responsible for what happens, attributing everything aversive to others.
59. Myths have more power than reality. The revolution as myth is the definitive revolution
The idealization of a virtue, person or objective supposes a greater source of inspiration than reality, since it allows us to observe a utopia of perfection to which to aspire.
60. All modern revolutions have resulted in a strengthening of the power of the state
Most revolutions, successful or not, have led to power being even more powerful if it changes hands.
61. I still believe that this world does not have a higher meaning. But I know that something makes sense.
There is no purpose behind reality, although it can sometimes be organized and interpreted rationally.
62. Who could say that an eternity of bliss can make up for an instant of human pain?
Again Camus expresses his belief that the end never justifies the means.
63. It is not a question of knowing whether by pursuing justice we will be able to preserve freedom. It is about knowing that, without freedom, we will achieve nothing and lose future justice and ancient beauty at the same time.
Freedom is the basis of justice, and without it it is not possible to establish the second in the future or appreciate the beauty of our past by limiting the options.
64. Freedom is nothing but the opportunity to be better
Camus defends the importance of freedom to develop and express oneself, giving the opportunity to improve our lives and the world.
65. All the specialists of passion tell us: there is no eternal love if it is not contradicted. There is no passion without a fight.
Reaching love and / or our dreams and goals involves striving to overcome the difficulties that arise. Nothing is free: we have to do our best. In love, moreover, the struggle to maintain it stimulates its continuity.
66. For two men who live the same number of years, the world always provides the same amount of experiences. It is up to us to be aware of them
Two people who live the same years will experience the same, although the experience may be different. Simply each person must be aware of what they live and give it its due importance.
67. Feeling your own life, its rebellion, its freedom and as much as possible, is to live as much as possible
The author pushes us to live life intensely in this sentence.
68. Happiness is the greatest of conquests, the one we make against the destiny that is imposed on us
The human being must constantly struggle and fight throughout life if he wants to achieve happiness. We have to fight destiny and what is imposed on us to do what we really want to do.
69. Like great works, deep feelings always declare more than they consciously say
When we speak of a deep feeling, the words we use are usually not capable of expressing the great value we place on it or the sensations that it provokes in us. It goes beyond consciousness or rationality. And that's without taking into account the possibility that we voluntarily restrict their expression.
- Related article: "Are we rational or emotional beings?"
70. Any form of contempt, if it intervenes in politics, prepares or establishes fascism
Fascism supposes the imposition of a way of thinking based on its supremacy in relation to the others, which are despised. Hatred and contempt for different ways of being or thinking it is its base.
71. The genius: the intelligence that knows its borders
Genius is not having above-average intelligence, but being aware of your own limitations and acting on them.
72. For an absurd spirit reason is vain and there is nothing beyond reason
Absurdity as the search for meaning for something that does not have it. A solely rational explanation of reality is sought, and even so the being itself knows that reason is not enough to explain something that cannot be explained.
73. Friendship can become love. Love in friendship... never
For Camus the passage from friendship to love it is a path of no return. Whoever loves someone cannot stop loving them to transform them into something of less intensity.
74. When, by trade or vocation, one has meditated a lot about man, it happens that one experiences nostalgia for primates. They have no ulterior motives
Human beings tend to use ambiguity and double meanings, as well as act and speak with ulterior motives such as seeking benefits for oneself.
75. I have always believed that although the hopeful man in the human condition is a madman, the one who despairs of events is a coward
In this sentence the author reflects that it is better to be hopeful in a less sane way than to give in to despair.
76. I understand why the doctrines that explain everything to me weaken me at the same time. They relieve me of the weight of my own life and yet it is necessary for me to carry it myself
Ascribing to a specific theory or belief allows us to establish a framework for action at the same time that it makes us less responsible for our actions, since it has a specific meaning. But this prevents that we take full responsibility of what happens to our lives and that we fight with less energy to change things.
77. Man's attention span is limited and must be constantly spurred on by provocation
It is necessary to stimulate the human being so that it can attend to the different aspects of reality and act, or else it becomes stagnant.
78. The only truly serious philosophical problem is suicide
Deciding if life is worth living is one of the main problems that philosophy must face, the answer being affirmative for Camus.
- Related article: "Suicidal thoughts: causes, symptoms and therapy"
79. I rebel, then we are
Rebellion and nonconformity with reality and its absurdity is what allows us to fight for what we believe and to elaborate ourselves.
80. It was in Spain where my generation learned that one can be right and be defeated, that force can destroy the soul, and that sometimes courage is not rewarded
This phrase makes clear reference to the Spanish Civil War and to the victory and establishment of the Francoist side despite republican resistance.
81. Being king of his humours is the privilege of the most evolved animals
The management of emotions is a characteristic of animals with greater intellect and greater freedom.
82. Blessed is the heart that can be bent because it will never break
Flexibility and accepting that other points of view may exist means that we can remain whole and adapt to circumstances.
83. Sometimes I think about what the historians of the future will say about us. A single sentence will be enough to define modern man: he fornicated and read newspapers
This phrase criticizes the tendency to limit oneself to surviving and focusing on oneself without contributing anything to the world around us.
84. It is not the child's suffering that he revolts, but the fact that he is not justified
It is not the fact of suffering but that this fact does not make any sense which causes frustration, anger, indignation and rebellion.
85. How hard, how bitter it is to become a man
Growing and maturing as a human being means learning and understanding different aspects of reality with all its harshness and cruelty, or the equally painful fact that we do not understand them.
86. Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy just to be normal.
Many people suffer and make great efforts and sacrifices in order to fit within the concept of normality. They try to adjust, for which they restrict part of their being or make excessive efforts to this end. Both people who excel and those who do not meet what others demand.
87. An intellectual is a person whose mind looks at itself
Camus's idea of intellectuality assumes that the person is able to observe and analyze himself successfully without the need to judge others.
88. Man needs to exalt justice to fight injustice, and create happiness to rebel against a universe of unhappiness
The human being must fight against what he considers aversive, through the exaltation of the opposite of him.
89. Every time a man is chained, we are chained to him. Freedom must be for everyone or for no one.
In this phrase Camus expresses the need for all of us to be free, not just a few.
90. All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous start
As ridiculous as something may seem, it may end up with something great emerging that changes the world for the better.