Books Quote by Jorge Luis Borges
““The certitude that everything has been written negates us or turns us into phantoms. I know of districts in which the young men prostrate themselves before books and kiss their pages in a barbarous manner, but they do not know how to decipher a single letter. Epidemics, heretical conflicts, peregrinations which inevitably degenerate into banditry, have decimated the population. I believe I have mentioned suicides, more and more frequent with the years. Perhaps my old age and fearfulness deceive me, but I suspect that the human species -- the unique species -- is about to be extinguished, but the Library will endure: illuminated, solitary, infinite, perfectly motionless, equipped with precious volumes, useless, incorruptible, secret.””
About This Quote
Source Short story: “The Library of Babel”, 1941
The belief that everything is predetermined reduces human agency, turning people into mere shadows; the endless library symbolizes immutable knowledge that outlasts humanity.
In simple terms: Predestination erodes agency; knowledge persists beyond us.
Key Takeaway
Recognize agency, value living experience.
Themes
determinism
knowledge
humanity
existence
Mood
melancholic
contemplative
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic study
- personal reflection
- cultural analysis
Key Concepts
philosophy
literature
metaphor
Questions to Reflect On
- Do we surrender agency to fate?
- How does immutable knowledge affect responsibility?
A Different Perspective
The library’s permanence may ignore the need for change and adaptation.
![“[D]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without a conscience a man may never be said to grow old. This is an age of very old young men.” quote by Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/076/hesketh-pearson-35291_age_d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-w_14010.jpg)
