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Banal Quotes

Browse 16 quotes about Banal.

Banal Quotes

“You are quite right, I changed my mind and do no longer speak of “radical evil.” … It is indeed my opinion now that evil is never “radical,” that it is only extreme, and that it possesses neither depth nor any demonic dimension. It can overgrow and lay waste the whole world precisely because it spreads like a fungus on the surface. It is “thought-defying,” as I said, because thought tries to reach some depth, to go to the roots, and the moment it concerns itself with evil, it is frustrated because there is nothing. That is its “banality.” Only the good has depth that can be radical. (letter to Scholem from December 1964)”

“Many writers make the mistake of making their readers appear like Lazarus, without any iota of care, throwing down books to readers to crunch as if they are dogs.”

“The inmates of Belsen or Buchenwald did not have to die hallowed by their sufferings, or with a brave resignation to their fate, or conscious of themselves as world-historical figures, or exulting in the thought that, though they themselves might perish, the human spirit itself is invincible, in order to earn the title of tragic. They simply had to be men and women in an intolerable situation. The banal truth is that one does not need to do anything in particular to qualify as a tragic protagonist. One simply has to be a human being at the end of one’s tether. One does not have to be virtuous, only virtuous enough not to deserve the wretchedness to which you are reduced.”

“But in all that suffering, the most painful suffering of all was the consciousness that it was banal, had all been discovered a long time ago, and was known to all the generations past, all just a repeated series, stamped out by our genes, That the universe was filled to its edges groans as alike as two notes, that those particular groans formed one great groan similar to the shrill parliament of the sparrows and that groan became an interstellar roar, the inaudible groan of the aging cosmos.”

“Jalang Ada sekuntum mawar di dadamu dan dusta di mulutmu. Sesungguhnya, Kau tak menggonggong serupa anjing yang tolol. Kau hanya tak mengindahkan hal lain, selain rasa laparku. Kaugigit tulang dari kedalamanku yang perih. Mata yang tak peduli dan hasrat untuk membunuh. Gelegak darah ini sama kejinya dengan tikam amarah. Api yang kau sembunyikan di balik mata pisau beringas. Pada dadamu yang terbelah jantungmu yang memerah. Kejalangan yang kau tunjukkan tanpa penyesalan dan rasa malu. Lagak lagumu tak semerah gincu yang kau kenakan malam itu. Dan apakah itu... secarik kain sewarna darah yang tak mampu menutupi kemesumanmu dari dunia? Dari dulu sekali, Kau sudah bukan milikku lagi! ... Kau sudah jadi milik semua orang. Semua kata cinta yang kau obral dengan murah. Haram jadah yang terlahir dari mimpi basah di siang bolong. Mimpi tempatku menghabiskan waktu. Waktu dan seluruh kesia-siaan. Waktu yang tak bernilai; Onggokan sampah! Sumpah serapah dan omong kosong. Waktu yang membusuk dalam pikiran semua orang. Mereka yang tak lebih anjing dari diriku sendiri. Mereka yang penuh gairah menanti saat tiba jam pertunjukan dengan air liur menetes. Mereka, yang menyulam benang laba-laba itu ke dalam pikiranmu. Seutas rambut yang lebih tipis dari harga diri dan kehormatan. Nilai yang kau sendiri Bahkan tak peduli. Bodohnya lagi, seperti yang selama ini terjadi... Aku masih saja duduk terpaku di depan layar menyesatkan itu menunggu... Merasa lebih, memiliki dirimu Lebih dari siapa pun, Kay! 2024 - 2025”