--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man, when reduced to nothing, or in other…" description: "\"“Man, when reduced to nothing, or in other words a survivor, is not tragic but comic, because he has no fate.”\" — Imre Kertész" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/imre-kert-sz-20119_dies_man-when-reduced-to-nothing-or-in-other_158352.jpg" --- # Man, when reduced to nothing, or in other words a… ![“Man, when reduced to nothing, or in other words a survivor, is not tragic but comic, because he has no fate.” quote by Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/imre-kert-sz-20119_dies_man-when-reduced-to-nothing-or-in-other_158352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/imre-kert-sz-20119_dies_man-when-reduced-to-nothing-or-in-other_158352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/imre-kert-sz-20119_dies_man-when-reduced-to-nothing-or-in-other_158352.jpg) > ““Man, when reduced to nothing, or in other words a survivor, is not tragic but comic, because he has no fate.”” [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When survival strips away destiny, the absurdity of existence becomes comedic rather than tragic. **In simple terms:** Survival without fate feels absurd, not sad. Key Takeaway Embrace the absurdity of existence. Themes existentialism absurdity survival fate humor Mood reflective wry hopeful Type philosophical humorous When to use this quote - war trauma - personal loss - identity crisis - daily resilience Key Concepts nihilism existential humor comic tragedy Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing absurdity change your response to hardship? - Can humor coexist with deep sorrow? A Different Perspective The view may overlook genuine grief that can accompany loss of purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Survivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivor/) ## Related quotes > [Man, when reduced to nothing, or in other words, a survivor, is not tragic but comic, because he has no fate. On the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/man-when-reduced-to-nothing-or-in-other-words-a-survivor-is-not-2/) [Imre Kertesz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [When one man has reduced a fact of the imagination to be a fact to his understanding, I foresee that all men will at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-one-man-has-reduced-a-fact-of-the-imagination-to-be-a-fact-to/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In Chekhov, everything blends into its opposite, just fractionally, and this is sort of unsettling. And that's why you end up 100 years later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/in-chekhov-everything-blends-into-its-opposite-just-fractionally-and/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [What looks tragic might be comic on second consideration, and what is comic might bring tears in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-looks-tragic-might-be-comic-on-second-consideration-and-what-is/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The Socratic demonstration of the ultimate unity of tragic and comic drama is forever lost. But the proof is in the art of Chekhov.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-socratic-demonstration-of-the-ultimate-unity-of-tragic-and-comic/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [It is tragic-comic to see that all this knowledge and understanding exercises no power at all over men's lives, that their lives do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/it-is-tragic-comic-to-see-that-all-this-knowledge-and-understanding/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Life is deeply tragic and also very comic at the same time. It's everything at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/life-is-deeply-tragic-and-also-very-comic-at-the-same-time-it-s/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Remember that in the midst of that which is most tragic there is always the comic and in the midst that which is most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/remember-that-in-the-midst-of-that-which-is-most-tragic-there-is/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Life to most Greeks may be either tragic or comic or a mixture of both; but one thing it never is - and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark-macinnes/life-to-most-greeks-may-be-either-tragic-or-comic-or-a-mixture-of/) [Helen Clark MacInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark-macinnes/) > [Humans are a great survivor species but our survival will be pretty grim if all of the plants and animals we depend on die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/humans-are-a-great-survivor-species-but-our-survival-will-be-pretty/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Better to wait and yearn, and still to wait, And die at last with unappeased desire, Than live to be the jest of such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/better-to-wait-and-yearn-and-still-to-wait-and-die-at-last-with/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Where shall the lover rest, Whom the fates sever From his true maiden's breast, Parted for ever? 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We do what we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-roy/you-re-a-survivor-each-one-of-you-and-survivors-don-t-have-the-luxury/) [Deanna Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-roy/) ## More by Imre Kertész > [I tried to depict the human face of this history, I wanted to write a book that people would actually want to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/i-tried-to-depict-the-human-face-of-this-history-i-wanted-to-write-a/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [“On one occasion she had spoken heatedly about the French Revolution, saying it had been little better than the Nazis. Her great-aunt responded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/on-one-occasion-she-had-spoken-heatedly-about-the-french-revolution/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [“As we pass one step, and as we recognize it as being behind us, the next one already rises up before us. By the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/as-we-pass-one-step-and-as-we-recognize-it-as-being-behind-us-the/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [...I would like to live a little bit longer in this beautiful concentration camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/i-would-like-to-live-a-little-bit-longer-in-this-beautiful/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [“I can see the young man on dizzily autumn mornings, the fog of which he inhaled just like the rapidly evaporating freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/i-can-see-the-young-man-on-dizzily-autumn-mornings-the-fog-of-which/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [Nonexistence. The society of the nonexistent. In the street yesterday a nonexistent person trod on my foot with his nonexistent foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/nonexistence-the-society-of-the-nonexistent-in-the-street-yesterday-a/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [“The West in general should stand up more for its own values. 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On the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/man-when-reduced-to-nothing-or-in-other-words-a-survivor-is-not-2/) [Imre Kertesz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [“I read somewhere; while God still existed one sustained a dialogue with God, and now that He no longer exists one has to sustain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/i-read-somewhere-while-god-still-existed-one-sustained-a-dialogue/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [“Kingbitter, as he did frequently nowadays, was standing at his window and looking out onto the street below. This street offered the most mundane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/kingbitter-as-he-did-frequently-nowadays-was-standing-at-his-window/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [You just sit there and tolerate it, the same way everything in this country is tolerated. Every deception, every lie, every bullet in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/you-just-sit-there-and-tolerate-it-the-same-way-everything-in-this/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [Talking is not enough; words don't clarify anything. I'll have to hit upon something, but what?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/talking-is-not-enough-words-don-t-clarify-anything-i-ll-have-to-hit/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) [Explore all 25 Imre Kertész quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) ## More Dies quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/) Michelle Blanchard > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. 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