„Zdá sa mi, že ak si ty alebo ja budeme musieť vybrať medzi dvoma smermi myslenia alebo konania, mali by sme si spomenúť na svoje umieranie a pokúsiť sa žiť tak, aby naša smrť nepriniesla svetu žiadne potešenie.“
Originál
It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.
Zdroj: East of Eden (1952)
Kontext: When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influence and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror. It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.
We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.
Kontext: In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved. Indeed, most of their vices are attempted short cuts to love. When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influence and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror. It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.
We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.
Podobné citáty

„Konanie nemusí vždy priniesť šťastie, ale bez konania nie je šťastie.“

„Ktovie, či nie je život umieraním a smrť životom.“

„Skutočnosť, že žijem, dokazuje, že svet nemá žiadny zmysel.“

„Ak čítanie nevplýva na náš život, konanie a myslenie, tak je škoda čítať.“
Varianta: Ak nemá čítanie vplyv na váš život, konanie a myslenie, vtedy je škoda čítať.

„Často sa hovorí, že nie smrť je strašná, ale umieranie.“

„Ľudia sú vo všetkých smeroch lepší, ako sa zdajú…“
Prisudzované výroky
„Kto nikdy nestratí rozum –V tomto smere žiadna zmena: nestratí ho, kto ho nemá!“