--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The certitude that everything has been…" description: "\"“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 b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-certitude-that-everything-has-been-w_2936495.jpg" --- # The certitude that everything has been written negates us… ![“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…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-certitude-that-everything-has-been-w_2936495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-certitude-that-everything-has-been-w_2936495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-certitude-that-everything-has-been-w_2936495.jpg) > ““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.”” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Decimated Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decimated-population-4354422/) [Epidemics Heretical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemics-heretical-4354420/) [Extinguished Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinguished-library-4354419/) [Fearfulness Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearfulness-deceive-4354421/) [Library Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library-endure-4354423/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/) ## Related quotes > [The library will endure; it is the universe... 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Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. 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People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) ## More by Jorge Luis Borges > [“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/no-hables-a-menos-que-puedas-mejorar-el-silencio/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. 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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. 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