Despair Quote by Erich Maria Remarque
““I cannot really play. Either at piano or at life; never, never have I been able to. I have always been too hasty, too impatient; something always intervenes and breaks it up. But who really knows how to play, and if he does know, what good is it to him? Is the great dark less dark for that, are the unanswerable questions less inscrutable, does the pain of despair at eternal inadequacy burn less fiercely, and can life ever be explained and seized and ridden like a tamed horse or is it always a mighty sail that carries us in the storm and, when we try to seize it, sweep us into the deep? Sometimes there is a hole in me that seems to extend to the center of the earth. What could fill it? Yearning? Dispair? Happiness? What happiness? Fatigue? Resignation? Death? What am I alive for? Yes, for what am I alive?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: All Quiet on the Western Front, 1929
The speaker feels trapped by impatience and existential doubt, questioning life's meaning and the possibility of fulfillment.
In simple terms: Struggle with impatience and existential doubt.
Key Takeaway
Accept uncertainty and seek inner peace.
Themes
existential
self-doubt
patience
Mood
melancholic
contemplative
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- personal growth
- therapy
- creative expression
Key Concepts
meaning of life
inner conflict
human condition
Questions to Reflect On
- What fills the inner void?
- Can patience change perception?
A Different Perspective
Finding answers may not resolve the underlying emptiness.
