--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He sank more and more into apathy; little…" description: "\"“He sank more and more into apathy; little interested him apart from dolls and other children’s toys. He still spoke occasionally, but mainly to produc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-young-46876_good-place_he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little_2474425.jpg" --- # He sank more and more into apathy; little interested him… ![“He sank more and more into apathy; little interested him apart from dolls and other children’s toys. He still spoke occasionally, but mainly to produce stock sentences in the style of a brainwashed schoolboy. Franziska made a record of some of them: ‘I translated much’. ‘I lived in a good place…” quote by Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-young-46876_good-place_he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little_2474425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-young-46876_good-place_he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little_2474425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-young-46876_good-place_he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little_2474425.jpg) > ““He sank more and more into apathy; little interested him apart from dolls and other children’s toys. He still spoke occasionally, but mainly to produce stock sentences in the style of a brainwashed schoolboy. Franziska made a record of some of them: ‘I translated much’. ‘I lived in a good place called Naumburg’. ‘I swam in the Saale’. ‘I was very fine because I lived in a fine house’. ‘I love Bismarck’. ‘I don’t like Friedrich Nietzsche’. It would be a mercy to think that he experienced at least a kind of vegetative contentment, but this seems not to have been the case. He suffered from his life-long curse of insomnia, and visitors downstairs were often disturbed by groans and howls coming from the upstairs bedroom. Towards the end of Franziska recorded him uttering ‘More light!’ (Goethe’s dying words) and ‘In short, dead!’ suggesting that that is what he wanted to be.”” [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man drifts into numbness, clinging to trivialities while deep suffering and insomnia gnaw at him, revealing the emptiness of superficial contentment. **In simple terms:** He is apathetic, obsessed with toys, and tormented by insomnia and existential dread. Key Takeaway Recognize and address deep suffering beyond surface distractions. Themes apathy insomnia existential dread illusion illusionary contentment Mood despair loneliness melancholy Type literary psychological When to use this quote - mental health treatment - supportive relationships - creative expression - seeking meaning - addressing insomnia Key Concepts nihilism psychological decay existential crisis Questions to Reflect On - What underlying issues drive his apathy? - How can meaningful connection break his isolation? A Different Perspective His condition may be rooted in untreated mental illness, not merely apathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nietzsche/) ## Related quotes > [“The phrase “slow reading” goes back at least as far as the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who in 1887 described himself as a “teacher of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-phrase-slow-reading-goes-back-at-least-as-far-as-the-philosopher/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Thus Spoke Zarathustra (German: Also sprach Zarathustra, sometimes translated Thus Spake Zarathustra), subtitled A Book for All and None (Ein Buch für Alle und…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/thus-spoke-zarathustra-german-also-sprach-zarathustra-sometimes/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses. -Friedrich Nietzsche”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/all-credibility-all-good-conscience-all-evidence-of-truth-come-only/) [Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/) > [“When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you. —FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-look-into-the-abyss-the-abyss-also-looks-into-you-friedrich/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is quite clear, whether you read Christopher Hitchens or Friedrich Nietzsche, that the image of God running the world to which they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/it-is-quite-clear-whether-you-read-christopher-hitchens-or-friedrich/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“What is evil?' you ask. To which I reply, 'Who are you, Friedrich Nietzsche?' To which you respond, 'Duh, wha? Me no understand.' Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/what-is-evil-you-ask-to-which-i-reply-who-are-you-friedrich-nietzsche/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“I stumbled upon Friedrich Nietzsche when I was 17, following the usual trail of existential candies—Camus, Sartre, Beckett—that unsuspecting teenagers find in the woods.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kamiya/i-stumbled-upon-friedrich-nietzsche-when-i-was-17-following-the-usual/) [Gary Kamiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kamiya/) > [“The need to live by secure, sharply etched classifications is buried deep in the human mind and one of its earliest demands; simplicity allays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gay/the-need-to-live-by-secure-sharply-etched-classifications-is-buried/) [Peter Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gay/) > [Friedrich Nietzsche predicted that secular people, losing touch with transcendence, would eventually lose a reference point from which to look down and judge themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/friedrich-nietzsche-predicted-that-secular-people-losing-touch-with/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“Undeserved praise causes more pangs of conscience later than undeserved blame, but probably only for this reason, that our power of judgment are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/undeserved-praise-causes-more-pangs-of-conscience-later-than-2/) [Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/) > [“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kavadlo/you-have-your-way-i-have-my-way-as-for-the-right-way-the-correct-way/) [Al Kavadlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kavadlo/) > [“To my surprise, I find the most relevant commentary on a marriage that continues into the sunset years comes from the radical German philosopher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-klein/to-my-surprise-i-find-the-most-relevant-commentary-on-a-marriage-that/) [Daniel Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-klein/) > [“Friedrich Nietzsche called the aristocratic predators who write society’s laws “the splendid blond beast” precisely because they so often behave as though they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-simpson/friedrich-nietzsche-called-the-aristocratic-predators-who-write/) Christopher Simpson > [ \[Friedrich\] Nietzsche said something marvellous, he said "Madness is not a consequence of uncertainty but of certainty", and this is fanaticism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/friedrich-nietzsche-said-something-marvellous-he-said-madness-is-not/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Zanimljivo je i to da sano dvije stvari u današnjem svijetu izazivaju histerične reakcije: jedna je Bog, druga Država. Snažne i nekontrolirane erupcije emocija…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dubravka-ugre-i/zanimljivo-je-i-to-da-sano-dvije-stvari-u-dana-njem-svijetu-izazivaju/) [Dubravka Ugrešić](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dubravka-ugre-i/) ## More by Julian Young > [The brain, Schopenhauer says, is the 'one great tool' that has enabled a creature endowed with neither sharp teeth nor claws to survive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/the-brain-schopenhauer-says-is-the-one-great-tool-that-has-enabled-a/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) > [It was Schopenhauer who made me a philosopher. Real philosophy, I told my appalled colleagues at Auckland, is about sex, death, and boredom. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/it-was-schopenhauer-who-made-me-a-philosopher-real-philosophy-i-told/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) > [I drifted into a career in academic philosophy because I couldn't see anything outside the academy that looked to be anything other than drudgery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/i-drifted-into-a-career-in-academic-philosophy-because-i-couldn-t-see/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) > [In aesthetic consciousness we enter that painless state, prized by Epicurus as the state of the gods; for a moment we are delivered from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/in-aesthetic-consciousness-we-enter-that-painless-state-prized-by/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) > [“In the later part of his creative life Nietzsche suffered acutely from loneliness. Like his alter ego, Zarathustra, he found himself alone on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/in-the-later-part-of-his-creative-life-nietzsche-suffered-acutely/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) > [Art of course survives on the walls of private dwellings and corporate offices, but it 'dies' in the sense of losing its public, community-gathering,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/art-of-course-survives-on-the-walls-of-private-dwellings-and/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) > [The everyday world, as Kant proved, is mere appearance. But it is also the only world in which we can make sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/the-everyday-world-as-kant-proved-is-mere-appearance-but-it-is-also/) [Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) [Explore all 8 Julian Young quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/) ## More Good place quotes > [Come to think of it, Pasadena's as good a place to die as any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tolkin/come-to-think-of-it-pasadena-s-as-good-a-place-to-die-as-any/) [Michael Tolkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tolkin/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [I don't feel I have to write deep and meaningful songs; they can be light and meaningless. It has to do with the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/i-don-t-feel-i-have-to-write-deep-and-meaningful-songs-they-can-be/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [Our family was very fond of the University of Iowa. We thought it was a good place to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-allen/our-family-was-very-fond-of-the-university-of-iowa-we-thought-it-was/) [James Van Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-allen/) > [“Today was my forty-fifth birthday. Impending old age and a problem marriage were staring me in the face. Not a good place to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cantwell/today-was-my-forty-fifth-birthday-impending-old-age-and-a-problem/) Karen Cantwell > [There's a side to reality TV that is part education, as well. I've seen that since doing "MasterChef Junior," in terms of the effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/there-s-a-side-to-reality-tv-that-is-part-education-as-well-i-ve-seen/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [“I agree that it's a shame some books have to suffer ratings that clearly are invalid. However I can't think of a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/i-agree-that-it-s-a-shame-some-books-have-to-suffer-ratings-that/) Otis Y. Chandler > [Whenever I'm stressed out or having a bad day, the one thing that gets me happy or back into like a good place of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paige-spiranac/whenever-i-m-stressed-out-or-having-a-bad-day-the-one-thing-that-gets/) [Paige Spiranac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paige-spiranac/) > [Marks & Spencer's in Cardiff is a really good place to get recognised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-jones/marks-spencer-s-in-cardiff-is-a-really-good-place-to-get-recognised/) [Ruth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-jones/) > [“Listen, gods die when they are forgotten. People too. But the land's still here. The good places, and the bad. The land isn't going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/listen-gods-die-when-they-are-forgotten-people-too-but-the-land-s/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The past is a good place to visit .. but it's not a good place to stay..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackielyn-soguilon/the-past-is-a-good-place-to-visit-but-it-s-not-a-good-place-to-stay/) Jackielyn Soguilon > [I miss the city Bret and I live in, Wellington. It's a good place to be creative, in the same way New York is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemaine-clement/i-miss-the-city-bret-and-i-live-in-wellington-it-s-a-good-place-to-be/) [Jemaine Clement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemaine-clement/) > [“Amidst all the hype and hoopla around this business, I wanted to emphasize the challenge—it is seductive but the failure rate is very high.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahendra-ramsinghani/amidst-all-the-hype-and-hoopla-around-this-business-i-wanted-to/) Mahendra Ramsinghani > [It sounds kind of cliche, and a lot of people say it about our music, but I think a good place to hear our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/it-sounds-kind-of-cliche-and-a-lot-of-people-say-it-about-our-music/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) Browse all 495 Good place quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He sank more and more into apathy; little interested him apart from dolls and other children’s toys. He still spoke occasionally, but mainly to produce stock sentences in the style of a brainwashed schoolboy. Franziska made a record of some of them: ‘I translated much’. ‘I lived in a good place called Naumburg’. ‘I swam in the Saale’. ‘I was very fine because I lived in a fine house’. ‘I love Bismarck’. ‘I don’t like Friedrich Nietzsche’. It would be a mercy to think that he experienced at least a kind of vegetative contentment, but this seems not to have been the case. He suffered from his life-long curse of insomnia, and visitors downstairs were often disturbed by groans and howls coming from the upstairs bedroom. Towards the end of Franziska recorded him uttering ‘More light!’ (Goethe’s dying words) and ‘In short, dead!’ suggesting that that is what he wanted to be.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julian Young" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little-interested-him-apart-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good place" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little-interested-him-apart-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-young-46876_good-place_he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little_2474425.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-young-46876_good-place_he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little_2474425.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/julian-young-46876_good-place_he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little_2474425.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He sank more and more into apathy; little interested him apart from dolls and other children’s toys. He…” — Julian Young", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Julian Young", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He sank more and more into...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little-interested-him-apart-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/he-sank-more-and-more-into-apathy-little-interested-him-apart-from/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```