Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Dave Eggers

Quote by Dave Eggers

“You will die, and when you die, you will know a profound lack of it [dignity]. It's never dignified, always brutal. What's dignified about dying? It's never dignified. And in obscurity? Offensive. Dignity is an affectation, cute but eccentric, like learning French or collecting scarves. And it's fleeting and incredibly mercurial. And subjective. So fuck it.”

Quote by Dave Eggers

Book:A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Create image

Work

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is a memoir that delves into the personal life of the author, chronicling his upbringing in a single-parent household, his emotional and intellectual development, and his challenges in navigating the complexities of adulthood and fatherhood. more

Author

Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers is an American writer, born on March 12, 1970. He is known for his unique narrative style and his focus on social issues. His notable works include 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius' and 'The Time Traveler's Wife'. more

You May Also Like

“There was hardly a touch of earth in her love for Clare. To her sublime trustfulness he was all that goodness could be—knew all that a guide, philosopher, and friend should know. She thought every line in the contour of his person the perfection of masculine beauty, his soul the soul of a saint, his intellect that of a seer. The wisdom of her love for him, as love, sustained her dignity; she seemed to be wearing a crown. The compassion of his love for her, as she saw it, made her lift up her heart to him in devotion. He would sometimes catch her large, worshipful eyes, that had no bottom to them looking at him from their depths, as if she saw something immortal before her.”

LoveDignityDevotion
Book:Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Create image

“I am leaving now; but know, Katerina Ivanovna, that you indeed love only him. And the more he insults you, the more you love him. That is your strain. You precisely love him as he is, you love him insulting you. If he reformed, you would drop him at once and stop loving him altogether. But you need him in order to continually contemplate your high deed of faithfulness, and to reproach him for his unfaithfulness. And it all comes from your pride. Oh, there is much humility and humiliation in it, but all of it comes from pride.”

LovePrideHonorDignityYouthfulnessExtreme HaughtinessExtreme Pride
Book:The Brothers Karamazov
Create image

“His August Majesty chided the bureaucrats for failing to understand a simple principle: the principle of the second bag. Because the people never revolt just because they have to carry a heavy load, or because of exploitation. They don't know life without exploitation, they don't even know that such a life exists. How can they desire what they cannot imagine? The people will rvolt only when, in a single movement, someone tries to throw a second burden, a second heavy bag, onto their backs. The peasant will fall face down into the mud - and then spring up and grab an ax. He'll grab an ax, my gracious sir, not because he simply can't sustain this new burden - he could carry it - he will rise because he feels that, in throwing the second burden onto his back suddenly and stealthily, you have tried to cheat him, you have treated him like an unthinking animal, you have trampled what remains of his already strangled dignity, taken him for an idiot who doesn't see, feel, or understand. A man doesn't seize an ax in defense of his wallet, but in defense of his dignity, and that, dear sir, is why His Majesty scolded the clerks. For their own convenience and vanity, instead of adding the burden bit by bit, in little bags, they tried to heave a whole big sack on at once.”

PoorRevolutionDignityBurdenInequalityRevolt
Book:The Emperor: Downfall of An Autocrat
Create image