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Quote by Patricia Highsmith

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Strangers on a Train

The story revolves around two men who meet on a train and strike up a conversation. One man, a wealthy playboy, proposes a chilling game of murder, suggesting that they each kill someone who has wronged them. The novel delves into the dark side of human nature and the psychological effects of the proposed act, creating a tense and suspenseful narrative. more

Author

Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist renowned for her psychological thrillers. Her works often delve into the darker aspects of human nature, particularly themes of loneliness and fear. Her most famous works include 'The Price of Salt' and 'The Glass House'. more

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EqualityCivil RightsInequalityAfrican AmericansBlacksPromises
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RaceRacismEqualityCivil RightsInequalityAfrican AmericansBlacksCivil Rights Movement
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Inequality
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“Un ami à qui je racontais ma mésaventure m’a dit en riant : « Ça t’apprendra à admirer des fascistes. » C’était expéditif et, je crois, juste. Herzog, capable d’une vibrante compassion pour un aborigène sourd-muet ou un vagabond schizophrène, considérait un jeune cinéphile à lunettes comme une punaise méritant d’être moralement écrabouillée, et j’étais quant à moi le client idéal pour me faire traiter de la sorte. Il me semble qu’on touche là quelque chose qui est le nerf du fascisme. Si on le dénude, ce nerf, que trouve-t-on ? En étant radical, une vision du monde évidemment scandaleuse : übermenschen et untermenschen, Aryens et Juifs, d’accord, mais ce n’est pas de cela que je veux parler. Je ne veux parler ni de néonazis, ni d’extermination des présumés inférieurs, ni même de mépris affiché avec la robuste franchise de Werner Herzog, mais de la façon dont chacun de nous s’accommode du fait évident que la vie est injuste et les hommes inégaux : plus ou moins beaux, plus ou moins doués, plus ou moins armés pour la lutte. Nietzsche, Limonov et cette instance en nous que j’appelle le fasciste disent d’une même voix : « C’est la réalité, c’est le monde tel qu’il est. » Que dire d’autre ? Ce serait quoi, le contre-pied de cette évidence ? « On sait très bien ce que c’est, répond le fasciste. Ça s’appelle le pieux mensonge, l’angélisme de gauche, le politiquement correct, et c’est plus répandu que la lucidité. » Moi, je dirais : le christianisme. L’idée que, dans le Royaume, qui n’est certainement pas l’au-delà mais la réalité de la réalité, le plus petit est le plus grand. Ou bien l’idée, formulée dans un sutra bouddhiste que m’a fait connaître mon ami Hervé Clerc, selon laquelle « l’homme qui se juge supérieur, inférieur ou même égal à un autre homme ne comprend pas la réalité »”

ChristianityInequalityFascism
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