Another day Quote by Julio Cortázar
““I envy Johnny and at the same time I get sore as hell watching him destroy himself, misusing his gifts, and the stupid accumulation of nonsense the pressure of his life requires. I think that if Johnny could straighten out his life, not even sacrificing heroin, if he could pilot that plane better, maybe he’d end up worse, maybe go crazy altogether, or die, but not without having played it to the depth, what he’s looking for in those sad a posteriori monlogues, in his retelling of great, fascinating experiences which, however, stop right there, in the middle of the road. And all this I back up with my own cowardice, and maybe basically I want Johnny to wind up all at once like a nova that explodes into a thousand pieces and turns astronomers into idiots for a whole week, and then one can go off to sleep and tomorrow is another day.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Rayuela (Hopscotch) by Julio Cortázar, 1963
The speaker admires Johnny’s talent but despairs at his self‑destruction, wishing for a dramatic end that would both awe and relieve the observer.
In simple terms: Admiration mixed with frustration over a friend’s ruin.
Key Takeaway
Accept limits of others’ choices.
Themes
admiration
frustration
destruction
wishful thinking
Mood
melancholic
intense
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- watching a talented friend self‑sabotage
- reflecting on personal cowardice
- contemplating the impact of dramatic endings
Key Concepts
existentialism
self‑sabotage
heroic tragedy
Questions to Reflect On
- Can you find compassion without wishing harm?
- What does this reveal about your own fears?
A Different Perspective
The desire for a spectacular collapse may ignore the value of gradual change.
![“The best literature is always a take [in the musical sense]; there is an implicit risk in its execution, a margin of danger that is the pleasure of the flight, of the love, carrying with it a tangible loss but also a total engagement that, on another level, lends the theater its unparalleled…” quote by Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0d/julio-cort-zar-698_books_the-best-literature-is-always-a-take-in_174639.jpg)
