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Quote by Natsume Sōseki

“When I was a student, there wasn't a single thing we did that was unrelated to others. It was all for the Emperor, or parents, or the country, or society—everything was other-centered, which means that all educated men were hypocrites. When society changed, this hypocrisy ceased to work, and as a result, self-centeredness was gradually imported into thought and action, and egoism became enormously over-developed. Instead of the old hypocrites, now all we've got are out-and-out rogues. Do you see what I mean by that?”

Quote by Natsume Sōseki

Book:Sanshirō
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Sanshirō

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Natsume Sōseki

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“الذّكاء هو إخفاق في الارتقاء. في عصر الإنسان البدائي ما قبل التّاريخي، أتخيّل جيّدًا، وسط قبيلة صغيرة، كلّ الأطفال و هم يركضون وسط الأدغال، و يطاردون العظّايات، و يقطفون العنبيّات للعشاء، و يتعلّمون تدريجيًّا، من خلال احتكاكهم بالبالغين، أن يكونوا رجالًا و نساء كاملين: صيّادون، قطّافون، صيّادو سمك، دبّاغون... و لكن إذا أمعنّا النّظر في حياة هذه القبيلة سنكتشف أنّ بعض الأطفال لا يشاركون في أنشطة الجماعة: يظلّون جالسين قرب النّار، آمنين داخل الكهف. سوف لن يحسنوا قط الدّفاع عن أنفسهم ذد نمور بأنياب قاطعة، ولا أن يصطادوا، سوف لن يبقوا، باستسلامهم، أحياء لليلة واحدة. و إذا كانوا يمضون أيّامهم دون أن يفعلوا شيئًا، فذلك ليس بسبب الكسل و الخمول، بل يرغبون في أن يقفزوا و يلهوا مع زملائهم و لكنّهم لا يستطيعون. فالطّبيعة، حينما أنجبتهم إلى الدّني، أصابتهم بالعجز. في هذه القبيلة الصّغيرة، ثمّة طفلة ضريرة و صبيّ أعرج، و آخر أخرق و شارد الذّهن... و بالتّالي، يلزمون طيلة النّهار مسكنهم، و لأنّ ليس لديهم ما يفعلوه سوى ألعاب الفيديو التي لم تخترع بعد، يضطرّون للتّفكير و ترك أفكارهم شاردة. فيمضون وقتهم في التّفكير، في محاولة فك طلاسم العالم، في تخيّل حكايات و ابتكارات. و هكذا تولد الحضارة: لأنّ أولادًا عاجزين ليس لديهم ما يفعلونه غير ذلك.”

HumorNovel
Book:How I Became Stupid
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“In the presence of Esch, values have hidden their faces. Order, loyalty, sacrifice—he cherishes all these words, but exactly what do they represent? Sacrifice for what? Demand what sort of order? He doesn't know. If a value has lost its concrete content, what is left of it? A mere empty form; an imperative that goes unheeded and, all the more furious, demands to be heard and obeyed. The less Esch knows what he wants, the more furiously he wants it. Esch: the fanaticism of the era with no God. Because all values have hidden their faces, anything can be considered a value. Justice, order—Esch seeks them now in the trade union struggle, then in religion; today in police power, tomorrow in the mirage of America, where he dreams of emigrating. He could be a terrorist or a repentant terrorist turning in his comrades, or a party militant or a cult member a kamikaze prepared to sacrifice his life. All the passions rampaging through the bloody history of our time are taken up, unmasked, and terrifyingly displayed in Esch's modest adventure.”

ValuesOrderNovelSacrificeModernLoyaltyCertaintyExistentialismPurpose Of LifeCultAmbiguitySymbolicFanaticismImperativePost ModernSleepwalkersBrochEsch
Book:The Art of the Novel
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“Ma che importava, allora, ella si domandava procedendo verso Bond Street, che importava che ella dovesse, ineluttabilmente e completamente, cessare di vivere? Tanto fervore di vita sarebbe continuato senza di lei; se ne risentiva forse? o non era piuttosto consolante la certezza che la morte poneva fine a tutto; ma che in un certo modo, nelle vie di Londra, nella gran marea delle cose, qui, là, ella sopravviveva, Peter sopravviveva, e vivevano uno nell'altro, e lei era parte -l'avrebbe giurato- degli alberi a Bourton; di quel brutto casamento laggiù, trasandato e tutto a pezzi e bocconi; parte di gente che non aveva mai visto al mondo; distesa come un velo di nebbia tra le creature che le erano più amiche, che si protendevano a sollevarla così come aveva visto gli alberi sollevare la bruma tra i rami; eppure si estendeva quanto mai lontano, quella vita che era poi lei”

NovelItalianVirginia WoolfMrs Dalloway
Book:Mrs. Dalloway
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