Don juan Quote by Colette
““It was fun to see him becoming sententious again, glorying in a science he had invented, and as positive as a village soothsayer. 'So one should neither give nor receive?' I laughed. 'And if the lover is poor, his mistress indigent, then both she and he must tactfully let themselves and each other die?' 'Let them die,' he repeated. I had accompanied him as far as the revolving glass door of the lobby. 'Let them die,' he said again. 'It's less dangerous. I can swear on my word of honor that I never gave a present or made a loan or an exchange of anything except . . . this . . .' He waved both hands in a complicated gesture which fleetingly indicated his chest, his mouth, his genitals, his thighs. Thanks no doubt to my fatigue, I was reminded of an animal standing on its hind legs and unwinding the invisible. Then he resumed his strictly human significance, opened the door, and easily mingled with the night outside, where the sea was already a little paler than the sky.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Vagabond by Colette, 1910
The passage sat a character who embraces nihilism, rejecting social contracts and embracing death as a release from obligations, while also hinting at the absurdity of human gestures.
In simple terms: A man rejects giving, receiving, and all ties, seeing death as freedom.
Question the value of social obligations and the allure of nihilism.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- philosophical debates
- literary analysis
- psychological introspection
- ethical discussions
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What obligations do you hold that give life meaning?
- Can embracing nihilism lead to personal growth?
The viewpoint may romanticize death and ignore the value of human connection.