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Contradiction Quote by Yukio Mishima

“All my life I have been acutely aware of a contradiction in the very nature of my existence. For forty-five years I struggled to resolve this dilemma by writing plays and novels. The more I wrote, the more I realized mere words were not enough. So I found another form of expression.” quote by Yukio Mishima
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“All my life I have been acutely aware of a contradiction in the very nature of my existence. For forty-five years I struggled to resolve this dilemma by writing plays and novels. The more I wrote, the more I realized mere words were not enough. So I found another form of expression.”

Yukio Mishima

About This Quote

Source Essay: "The Decay of the Angel" by Yukio Mishima, 1965

Mishima felt an inner conflict that writing alone could not resolve, leading him to seek other artistic mediums.

In simple terms: He realized words alone couldn’t express his inner tension, so he turned to other arts.

Key Takeaway

Explore multiple creative outlets to resolve inner conflict.

Themes

identity artistic expression conflict self-discovery

Mood

introspective determined reflective

Type

philosophical personal creative

When to use this quote

  • theatre
  • novel writing
  • painting
  • martial arts
  • public performance

Key Concepts

existentialism creative catharsis multimodality

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do different art forms reveal aspects of self that words cannot?
  • What drives an artist to shift mediums?
A Different Perspective

Other mediums may not fully capture the nuance of his internal struggle.

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