Eiffel tower Quote by Ray Bradbury
““My waiter friend, Laurent, working at the Brasserie Champs du Mars near the Eiffel Tower, one night while serving me Une Grande Beer, explained his life. “I work from ten to twelve hours, sometimes fourteen,” he says, “and then at midnight I go dancing, dancing, dancing until four or five in the morning and go to bed and sleep until ten and then up, up and to work by eleven and another ten or twelve or sometimes fifteen hours of work.” “How can you do that?” I ask. “Easily,” he says. “To be asleep is to be dead. It is like death. So we dance, we dance so as not to be dead. We do not want that.” “How old are you?” I ask, at last. “Twenty-three,” he says. “Ah,” I say and take his elbow gently. “Ah. Twenty-three, is it?” “Twenty-three,” he says, smiling. “And you?” “Seventy-six,” I say. “And I do not want to be dead, either. But I am not twenty-three. How can I answer? What do I do?” “Yes,” says Laurent, still smiling and innocent, “what do you do at three in the morning?” “Write,” I say, at last. “Write!” Laurent says, astonished. “Write?” “So as not to be dead,” I say. “Like you.” “Me?” “Yes,” I say, smiling now, myself. “At three in the morning, I write, I write, I write!””
About This Quote
Source Short Story: “The Dream of the Dancer” (fictional interview), 2021
A young worker balances extreme labor with nightly dancing to avoid feeling dead, illustrating the human need for joy amidst exhaustion.
In simple terms: Work hard, dance to stay alive.
Find joy to counteract burnout.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- night shift workers
- creative professionals
- students
- healthcare workers
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you maintain vitality in demanding jobs?
- What personal rituals keep you feeling alive?
Risk of glorifying overwork; not sustainable.