Blind man Quote by Jose Saramago
““The first blind man had begun by declaring that his wife would not be subjected to the shame of giving her body to strangers in exchange for whatever, she had no desire to do so nor would he permit it, for dignity has no price, that when someone starts making small concessions, in the end live loses all meaning. The doctor then asked him what meaning he saw in the situation in which all of them there found themselves, starving, covered in filth up to their ears, ridden with lice, eaten by bedbugs, bitten by fleas, I, too, would prefer my wife not to go, but what I want serves no purpose, ... I know that my manly pride, this thing we call male pride, if after so many humiliations, we still preserve something worthy of that name, I know that it will suffer, it already is, I cannot avoid it, but it is probably the only solution, if we want to live.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Blindness by José Saramago, 1995
A man clings to pride and moral rigidity, fearing loss of dignity, even as dire circumstances demand compromise for survival.
In simple terms: Pride blocks compromise in crisis.
Key Takeaway
Balance dignity with practicality.
Themes
pride
morality
survival
humanity
compromise
Mood
despair
hopeful
Type
philosophical
dramatic
When to use this quote
- war zones
- refugee camps
- family crises
- medical emergencies
Key Concepts
existentialism
ethical dilemmas
human dignity
Questions to Reflect On
- What values are worth sacrificing?
- How can dignity be preserved without harming others?
A Different Perspective
Rigid ideals can cause suffering when flexibility is needed.
![“The object [Duchamp's Fountain] was rejected , giving Duchamp the opportunity of issuing a statement, which he published in a review, The Blind Man. In his statement he emphasized that the act of choice was sufficient to justify it as a creative art. Placing it in such a way that its normal use…” quote by Neville Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5d5/neville-weston-48349_art-history_the-object-duchamp-s-fountain-was-reject_104800.jpg)
