Confession Quote by Georges Bataille
“By inner experience I understand that which one usually calls mystical experience: the states of ecstasy, of rapture, at least of meditated emotion. But I am thinking less of confessional experience, to which one has had to adhere up to now, that of an experience laid bare, free of ties, even of an origin, of any confession whatever. This is why I don't like the word mystical.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Accursed Share”, 1949
Mystical experience is a raw, unbound feeling beyond doctrine; the term “mystical” feels limiting.
In simple terms: Mysticism is beyond labels.
Key Takeaway
Explore unstructured spiritual states.
Themes
philosophy
spirituality
language
Mood
analytical
introspective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- personal meditation
- artistic creation
- ritual practice
- psychological study
Key Concepts
mystical experience
confessional limits
Questions to Reflect On
- How does language shape spiritual experience?
- Can mysticism be fully expressed in words?
A Different Perspective
Labels can help communicate but also restrict.
![“[F]or academic men to be happy, the universe would have to take shape. All of philosophy has no other goal: it is a matter of giving a frock coat to what is, a mathematical frock coat. On the other hand, affirming that the universe resembles nothing and is only formless amounts to saying that the…” quote by Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d5d/georges-bataille-3741_academic_f-or-academic-men-to-be-happy-the-univer_156790.jpg)
![“[Zarathustra] never abandoned the watchword of not having any end, not serving a cause, because, as he knew, causes pluck off the wings we fly with.” quote by Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7df/georges-bataille-3741_abandoned_zarathustra-never-abandoned-the-watchwor_257983.jpg)
