Children Quote by Thomas Bernhard
““From early childhood he had experienced the wish to die, to commit suicide, as they say, but never was totally concentrated. He could never come to terms with being born into a world that basically repulsed him in every detail from the very beginning. He grew older and thought that his wish to die would suddenly no longer be there, but this wish grew more intense from year to year, without ever becoming totally intense and concentrated. My constant curiosity got in the way of my suicide, so he said, I thought. We never forgive our fathers for having sired us, nor our mothers for having brought us into the world, he said, nor our sisters for continuing to be witnesses to our unhappiness. To exist means nothing other than we despair, he said. When I go to bed I have no other wise than to die, never to wake up, but then I wake up again and the awful process repeats itself, finally repeats itself for fifty years, he said. To think that for fifty years we don't wish for anything other than to be dead and are still alive and can't change it because we are thoroughly inconsistent, so he said. Because we are wretched, vile creatures. No musical ability! he cried out, no life ability!””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Loser by Thomas Bernhard, 1983
A man’s lifelong existential despair and self‑destructive thoughts are tempered by a restless curiosity that prevents complete surrender to death.
In simple terms: He feels hopeless but stays alive because curiosity.
Curiosity can keep us alive despite despair.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- therapy
- philosophical counseling
- support groups
- creative expression
- mindfulness
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What can give meaning beyond curiosity?
- How can we support those trapped in chronic despair?
The narrative may romanticize suffering, overlooking practical help.