Backsides Quote by Djuna Barnes
“There's something evil in me that loves evil and degradation--purity's black backside! That loves honesty with a horrid love; or why have I always gone seeking it at the liar's door?”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Nightwood, 1936
The speaker acknowledges a dark, self‑destructive attraction to corruption and lies, yet also craves honesty, revealing inner conflict between moral decay and truth.
In simple terms: A person is drawn to both evil and honesty, feeling conflicted.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and confront self‑destructive desires.
Themes
conflict
self‑destruction
truth
morality
psychology
Mood
dark
conflicted
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal introspection
- creative writing
- psychological analysis
Key Concepts
dualism
cognitive dissonance
Questions to Reflect On
- What part of yourself seeks honesty despite destructive impulses?
- How can you reconcile love for truth with attraction to decay?
A Different Perspective
The allure of evil may mask deeper longing for authenticity.
![“I always resented Tom [Hardy] for turning up on Band Of Brothers and getting the girl — in fact, the only girl in a cast of hundreds of smelly men! I, on the other hand, spent eight months with my face squashed up against someone else’s backside in one sodden trench after another. And it looks as…” quote by Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ee4/damian-lewis-3773_backsides_i-always-resented-tom-hardy-for-turning_42063.jpg)
