--- title: "1 Existence Man Quotes By Olaf Stapledon" description: "1 Existence Man quotes by Olaf Stapledon. Plus more from Olaf Stapledon and more Existence Man sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/172/olaf-stapledon-9950_beauty_is-the-beauty-of-the-whole-really-enhanc_3117904.jpg" --- > [“Is the beauty of the Whole really enhanced by our agony? And is the Whole really beautiful? And what is beauty? Throughout all his existence man has been striving to hear the music of the spheres, and has seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/is-the-beauty-of-the-whole-really-enhanced-by-our-agony-and-is-the/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/172/olaf-stapledon-9950_beauty_is-the-beauty-of-the-whole-really-enhanc_3117904.jpg) ## More by Olaf Stapledon > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [In fact man's career has been less like a mountain torrent hurtling from rock to rock, than a great sluggish river, broken very seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/in-fact-man-s-career-has-been-less-like-a-mountain-torrent-hurtling/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [I loathe the urchin's cruelty to the cat, but I will not loathe the urchin. I loathe Hitler's mass-torturing, but not Hitler; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/i-loathe-the-urchin-s-cruelty-to-the-cat-but-i-will-not-loathe-the/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [“We are bound to hurt one another so much, again and again. we are so terribly different.''Yes,' he said, 'But the more different, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/we-are-bound-to-hurt-one-another-so-much-again-and-again-we-are-so/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [Great are the stars, and man is of no account to them. But man is a fair spirit, whom a star conceived and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/great-are-the-stars-and-man-is-of-no-account-to-them-but-man-is-a/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [Without Satan, with God only, how poor a universe, how trite a music!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/without-satan-with-god-only-how-poor-a-universe-how-trite-a-music/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [I see, indeed I know, that in some sense God is love, and God is wisdom, and God is creative action, yes and God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/i-see-indeed-i-know-that-in-some-sense-god-is-love-and-god-is-wisdom/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [“With characteristic lack of false modesty, John once said to me, "My looks are a rough test of people. If they don't begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/with-characteristic-lack-of-false-modesty-john-once-said-to-me-my/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [ \[S\]ervants of darkness had no lasting joy in their service. In all of them the will for darkness was a perversion of the will… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/s-ervants-of-darkness-had-no-lasting-joy-in-their-service-in-all-of/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [“The truth of the matter was something much more subtle and tremendous than any plain physical miracle could ever be. But never mind that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/the-truth-of-the-matter-was-something-much-more-subtle-and-tremendous/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [Even when all the worlds have frozen or exploded, and all the suns gone dead and cold, there'll still be time. Oh, God, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/even-when-all-the-worlds-have-frozen-or-exploded-and-all-the-suns/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [The Tibetan missionaries in their mood of bright confidence disconcerted the imperial governments by laughing the new movement into frustration. For a sham faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/the-tibetan-missionaries-in-their-mood-of-bright-confidence/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [“For the former, activity, any kind of activity, was an end in itself; for the latter, activity was but a progress toward the true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/for-the-former-activity-any-kind-of-activity-was-an-end-in-itself-for/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [We have no government and no laws, if by law is meant a stereotyped convention supported by force, and not to be altered without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/we-have-no-government-and-no-laws-if-by-law-is-meant-a-stereotyped/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [“In the tide of these wild thoughts we checked our fancy, remembering that only on the rare grains called planets can life gain foothold,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/in-the-tide-of-these-wild-thoughts-we-checked-our-fancy-remembering/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-man/olaf-stapledon/#itemlist", "name": "1 Existence Man Quotes By Olaf Stapledon", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Is the beauty of the Whole really enhanced by our agony? And is the Whole really beautiful? And what is beauty? Throughout all his existence man has been striving to hear the music of the spheres, and has seemed to himself once and again to catch some phrase of it, or even a hint of the whole form of it. Yet he can never be sure that he has truly heard it, nor even that there is any such perfect music at all to be heard. Inevitably so, for if it exists, it is not for him in his littleness. But one thing is certain. Man himself, at the very least, is music, a brave theme that makes music also of its vast accompaniment, its matrix of storms and stars. Man himself in his degree is eternally a beauty in the eternal form of things. It is very good to have been man. And so we may go forward together with laughter in our hearts, and peace, thankful for the past, and for our own courage. 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