Cervantes Quote by Malcolm Lowry
““Hell,” he finished absurdly. “Because—” He produced a twenty-peso note and laid it on the table. “I like it,” he called to them, through the open window, from outside. Cervantes stood behind the bar, with scared eyes, holding the cockerel. “I love hell. I can’t wait to get back there. In fact I’m running, I’m almost back there already.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry, 1947
The speaker glorifies hell as a place of intense feeling, mixing absurdity with yearning.
In simple terms: Hell is portrayed as alluring and urgent.
Key Takeaway
Question why you crave intense experiences.
Themes
desire
absurdity
longing
Mood
dark
intense
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- addiction
- artistic creation
- psychological turmoil
- spiritual crisis
Key Concepts
existentialism
nihilism
Questions to Reflect On
- What draws you to “hell” experiences?
- How does absurdity affect meaning?
A Different Perspective
Romanticizing suffering can be dangerous.
![“[He] looked exactly like Michael's idea of Don Quixote, 'the luminary and mirror of all knight-errantry', and for that gentle and melancholy knight Michael had always had the greatest affection. Indeed, he was almost his favourite character in literature . . . And he had been created by a man in…” quote by Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e4f/elizabeth-goudge-2888_cervantes_he-looked-exactly-like-michael-s-idea-of_1656148.jpg)
![“the best of Cervantes is untranslatable, and this undeniable fact is in itself an incentive [for one and all] to learn Spanish.” quote by Aubrey F.G. Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b27/aubrey-f-g-bell-221404_cervantes_the-best-of-cervantes-is-untranslatable_1441605.jpg)
