Quotes from Man's Fate

André Malraux ·  368 pages

Rating: (3.5K votes)


“...For that matter, men are perhaps indifferent to power.... What fascinates them in this idea, you see, is not real power, it's the illusion of being able to do exactly as they please. The king's power is the power to govern, isn't it? But man has no urge to govern--he has an urge to compel, as you said. To be more than a man, in a world of men. To escape man's fate, I was saying. Not powerful--all-powerful. The visionary disease, of which the will to power is only the intellectual justification, is the will to god-head--every man dreams of being god.”
― André Malraux, quote from Man's Fate


“ان لكل انسان نوع من الألم يلائم طبيعته”
― André Malraux, quote from Man's Fate


“كل ألم لا يساعد أحدا ألم لا معنى له”
― André Malraux, quote from Man's Fate


“- [...] Ah ! pourquoi l'intelligence des femmes veut-elle toujours choisir un autre objet que le sien ?
- Quel est le sien, cher ?
- Le charme et la compréhension, de toute évidence.
Elle réfléchit.
- Ce que les hommes appellent ainsi, c'est la soumission de l'esprit. Vous ne reconnaissez chez une femme que l'intelligence qui vous approuve.”
― André Malraux, quote from Man's Fate


“- Qu'entendez-vous par : l'intelligence ?
- En général ?
- Oui.
Ferral réfléchit.
- La possession des moyens de contraindre les choses ou les hommes.
Gisors sourit imperceptiblement. Chaque fois qu'il posait cette question, son interlocuteur, quel qu'il fût, répondait par le portrait de son désir, ou par l'image qu'il se faisait de lui-même.”
― André Malraux, quote from Man's Fate



“- [...] Ne trouvez-vous pas d'une stupidité caractéristique de l'espèce humaine qu'un homme qui n'a qu'une vie puisse la perdre pour une idée ?
- Il est très rare qu'un homme puisse supporter, comment dirais-je ? sa condition d'homme...”
― André Malraux, quote from Man's Fate


“D'ailleurs, les hommes sont peut-être indifférents au pouvoir... Ce qui les fascine dans cette idée, voyez-vous, ce n'est pas le pouvoir réel, c'est l'illusion du bon plaisir. Le pouvoir du roi, c'est de gouverner, n'est-ce pas ? Mais l'homme n'a pas envie de gouverner : il a envie de contraindre, vous l'avez dit. D'être plus qu'un homme dans un monde d'hommes. Échapper à la condition humaine, vous disais-je. Non pas puissant : tout-puissant. La maladie chimérique, dont la volonté de puissance n'est que la justification intellectuelle, c'est la volonté de déité : tout homme rêve d'être dieu.”
― André Malraux, quote from Man's Fate


About the author

André Malraux
Born place: in Paris, France
Born date December 13, 1901
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