---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The feeling of absurdity does not spring…"
description: "\"“The feeling of absurdity does not spring from the mere scrutiny of a fact or an impression, but that it bursts from the comparison between a bare fact..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/albert-camus-47_absurd_the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring_332615.jpg"
---

#  The feeling of absurdity does not spring from the mere…

![“The feeling of absurdity does not spring from the mere scrutiny of a fact or an impression, but that it bursts from the comparison between a bare fact and a certain reality, between an action and the world that transcends it. The absurd is essentially a divorce. It lies in neither of the elements…” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/albert-camus-47_absurd_the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring_332615.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/albert-camus-47_absurd_the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring_332615.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/albert-camus-47_absurd_the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring_332615.jpg)

> ““The feeling of absurdity does not spring from the mere scrutiny of a fact or an impression, but that it bursts from the comparison between a bare fact and a certain reality, between an action and the world that transcends it. The absurd is essentially a divorce. It lies in neither of the elements compared; it is born of their confrontation.””

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Absurdity arises when reality and expectation clash, creating a separation that highlights the meaningless of forced comparisons.

**In simple terms:** Absurdity comes from mismatched expectations and reality.

Key Takeaway

Accept the gap between expectation and reality.

Themes

absurdism philosophy existentialism

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- art criticism
- personal crises
- creative writing
- ethical debates

Key Concepts

meaninglessness confrontation divorce of concepts

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this gap reveal about my values?
- How can I find meaning despite absurdity?

A Different Perspective

May lead to nihilism if misapplied.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Absurd Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd-essentially-3110189/) [Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity/) [Absurdity Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity-does-3110188/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [Feeling Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-absurdity-1949730/)

## Related quotes

> [This divorce between man and his life, the actor and his setting, is properly the feeling of absurdity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/this-divorce-between-man-and-his-life-the-actor-and-his-setting-is/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [If there's one thing that people fail to appreciate about the social justice movement where it interfaces with the academy is that just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-weinstein/if-there-s-one-thing-that-people-fail-to-appreciate-about-the-social/)

[Bret Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-weinstein/)

> [The absurd is essentially a divorce. It lies in neither of the elements compared; it is born of their confrontation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-absurd-is-essentially-a-divorce-it-lies-in-neither-of-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/at-any-street-corner-the-feeling-of-absurdity-can-strike-any-man-in/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [What, then, is that incalculable feeling that deprives the mind of the sleep necessary to life? A world that can be explained even with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/what-then-is-that-incalculable-feeling-that-deprives-the-mind-of-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [There is a metaphysical honour in ending the world's absurdity. Conquest or play-acting, multiple loves, absurd revolt are tributes that man pays to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-a-metaphysical-honour-in-ending-the-world-s-absurdity/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Basically, at the very bottom of life, which seduces us all, there is only absurdity, and more absurdity. And maybe that's what gives us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/basically-at-the-very-bottom-of-life-which-seduces-us-all-there-is/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Where is the absurdity of the world? Is it this resplendent glow or the memory of its absence? With so much sun in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/where-is-the-absurdity-of-the-world-is-it-this-resplendent-glow-or/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Absurdity is what I like most in life, and there's humor in struggling in ignorance. If you saw a man repeatedly running into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/absurdity-is-what-i-like-most-in-life-and-there-s-humor-in-struggling/)

[David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/)

> [“To hold two ideas that contradict each other is to flirt with absurdity, and humans are creatures who spend their lives trying to convince…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/to-hold-two-ideas-that-contradict-each-other-is-to-flirt-with/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [A man who has become conscious of the absurd is for ever bound to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/a-man-who-has-become-conscious-of-the-absurd-is-for-ever-bound-to-it/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“The irrational, the human nostalgia, and the absurd that is born of their encounter - these are the three characters in the drama that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-irrational-the-human-nostalgia-and-the-absurd-that-is-born-of/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The world in which we were called to exist was an absurd world, and there was no other in which we could take refuge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-world-in-which-we-were-called-to-exist-was-an-absurd-world-and/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“We call love what binds us to certain creatures only by reference to a collective way of seeing for which books and legends are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-call-love-what-binds-us-to-certain-creatures-only-by-reference-to/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

## More by Albert Camus

> [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

[Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

## More Absurd quotes

> [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/)

[J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/)

> [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/)

[Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/)

> [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/)

[Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/)

> [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/)

[David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/)

> [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; &amp; the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/)

> [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-workman-of-today-works-every-day-in-his-life-at-the-same-tasks/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/)

[Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/)

> [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/)

[Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/)

[Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The feeling of absurdity does not spring from the mere scrutiny of a fact or an impression, but that it bursts from the comparison between a bare fact and a certain reality, between an action and the world that transcends it. The absurd is essentially a divorce. It lies in neither of the elements compared; it is born of their confrontation.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Albert Camus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring-from-the-mere-scrutiny-of-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absurd"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring-from-the-mere-scrutiny-of-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/albert-camus-47_absurd_the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring_332615.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/albert-camus-47_absurd_the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring_332615.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/albert-camus-47_absurd_the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring_332615.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The feeling of absurdity does not spring from the mere scrutiny of a fact or an impression, but that it…” — Albert Camus",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Albert Camus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The feeling of absurdity does not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring-from-the-mere-scrutiny-of-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-feeling-of-absurdity-does-not-spring-from-the-mere-scrutiny-of-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
