7 Phrases By Albert Camus To Reflect On

Most of Albert Camus’ phrases reveal his rebellious and libertarian spirit , something that characterized him from an early age. This writer, born in French Algeria in 1913, was one of the most prominent novelists, journalists and philosophers of the 20th century.

Camus lost his father before he was one year old, due to the war. He grew up in great poverty and managed to study thanks to a scholarship given to the children of fallen veterans. However, he got to get the Nobel Prize for Literature at age 44.

In many of Albert Camus’s phrases the influence of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche is reflected. However, Camus defined himself as an anarchist. In his thought and his work the central theme is the absurdity of existence. These are some small samples of his thinking.

1. Love and be loved

One of Albert Camus’ phrases about love says the following: “ Not being loved is a simple misfortune. The real misfortune is not knowing how to love ”. In this way, he speaks of love as an active quality of the subject.

Camus was convinced of freedom and autonomy. Therefore, this approach to love is not surprising. In it he puts in mind the importance of being a subject, rather than an object, of a feeling , of a reality.

2. Walk next to another

This is one of the phrases of Albert Camus that has been repeated the most over time. He says: “ Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow you. Don’t walk behind me, I may not guide you. Walk with me and be my friend ”.

Beyond talking about friendship, in this sentence what he does is a criticism of power relations. It is a rejection of hierarchies and vertical links. Camus was an independent left thinker who always deplored the various forms of power.

3. One of Albert Camus’s phrases about success

The theme of success is not one of the most frequent in Camus’s work. In fact, his thinking is considered “absurd”. He believed that existence was basically a failure, due to its lack of meaning.

Even so, one of Albert Camus’ phrases says this: “ Success is easy to achieve. The difficult thing is to deserve it ”. With this he opposes the concept of success as a great victory and rather puts it in the field of ethics, of merit.

4. In the heart of winter

Camus had a difficult childhood, mainly due to the enormous poverty in which he lived. However, he had the great fortune of discovering the world of books, thanks to his teacher Louis Germain. He was so grateful for his teachings that he dedicated part of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech to him.

One of the most popular Albert Camus phrases speaks precisely about that will to resist and to have the courage to overcome adversity. It goes like this: ” In the depths of winter I finally learned that an invincible summer dwells within me. “

5. About sadness

Sadness was a recurring theme among 20th century novelists and philosophers. Camus was no exception. In this regard, he wrote this lucid phrase: ” The sad have two reasons for being sad: they ignore and despair. “

Although his thing had to do with the absence of meaning, this phrase is a rejection of sadness. By saying that it arises out of ignorance and despair, he also implicitly points out that knowing and waiting takes us away from melancholy.

6. Be normal

Many of Albert Camus’ phrases have an ironic and funny tone. This does not take away any of their enormous depth, but it does show that he was a genius who under no circumstances lost the humility that characterized him.

One of his phrases says: ” Nobody realizes that some people use tremendous energy just to be normal. ” In short, it is a sharp rejection of the idea of ​​normalizing behavior.

7. The beginning of great feats

Albert Camus was part of many great causes. Among them, the French resistance to the Germans during World War II. He also always had his pen sharpened to question the different powers and their abuses.

Camus may have been a great disillusioned idealist at heart. Someone who never stopped having hope. This is reflected in one of his phrases: ” All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. “

The work of Albert Camus is one of those that will continue in force for many centuries. The intelligence and sensitivity with which he revealed many human realities have a universal character. A writer full of creativity and elegance, who never goes out of style.