Cioran's most famous aphorisms
The top 3 according to 41 votes from people: We do not inhabit a country, we inhabit a language. That is our homeland, and nothing else. · Man is an overworked animal. · We only think because we shy away from acting. To think is to hold back.. (Updated Feb 10, 2024.)
"We do not inhabit a country, we inhabit a language", canonisation through disgust with the world and man as an overworked animal: the most quoted aphorisms of Emil Cioran, with the book they come from.
Automatically translated (original in Français). See the original
Top 14
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1
We do not inhabit a country, we inhabit a language. That is our homeland, and nothing else.
Anathemas and Admirations (Aveux et anathèmes, 1987).
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2
Man is an overworked animal.
Notebooks 1957-1972.
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3
We only think because we shy away from acting. To think is to hold back.
Notebooks 1957-1972.
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4
No one can live without believing they are more than they are.
Window on Nothingness (posthumous, 2019).
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5
Every form of haste, even toward the good, betrays some mental disorder.
The Trouble with Being Born (1973).
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6
If disgust with the world alone conferred sainthood, I do not see how I could avoid canonisation.
The Trouble with Being Born (1973).
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7
When the mob embraces a myth, expect a massacre or, worse still, a new religion.
All Gall Is Divided (Syllogismes de l'amertume, 1952).
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8
Nothing cures us of anything.
Drafts of Vertigo (Ébauches de vertige, 1979).
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9
The mind is only truly pure in doubt.
Divagations (posthumous, 2019).
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10
The only favour we can ask of others is not to guess how pathetic we are.
Notebooks 1957-1972.
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11
The world is made of empty words and silent pains.
Window on Nothingness (posthumous, 2019).
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12
Hatred can be vile; yet getting rid of it is more dangerous than abusing it.
All Gall Is Divided (Syllogismes de l'amertume, 1952).
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13
A smile is supposedly a sign of health and balance. The madman, it is true, laughs more than he smiles.
Drafts of Vertigo (Ébauches de vertige, 1979).
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14
To stay this side of panic, you have to spend time with people more panicked than yourself.
Drafts of Vertigo (Ébauches de vertige, 1979).
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