One leader, one people, signifies one master and millions of slaves.
Men are never really willing to die except for the sake of freedom: therefore they do not believe in dying completely.
Man wants to live, but it is useless to hope that this desire will dictate all his actions.
Nothing is given to mankind and what little men can conquer must be paid for with unjust death. But man’s grandeur lies elsewhere, in his decision to rise above his condition.
Once crime was as solitary as a cry of protest; now it is as universal as science. Yesterday it was put on trial; today it determines the law.
It is normal to give away a little of one’s life in order not to lose it all.
All modern revolutions have ended in a reinforcement of the power of the State.
Only a philosophy of eternity, in the world today, could justify non-violence.
Martyrs, my friend, have to choose between being forgotten, mocked or used. As for being understood – never.
Culture: the cry of men in face of their destiny.
Men are convinced of your arguments, your sincerity, and the seriousness of your efforts only by your death.
At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face.
Real nobility is based on scorn, courage, and profound indifference.
Rebellion cannot exist without the feeling that somewhere, in some way, you are justified.
Absurd- that is the light mind that establishes its own borders.
The world is never quiet, even its silence eternally resounds with the same notes, in vibrations which escape our ears. As for those that we perceive, they carry sounds to us, occasionally a chord, never a melody.
To correct a natural indifference I was placed half-way between misery and the sun. Misery kept me from believing that all was well under the sun, and the sun taught me that history wasn’t everything.
Violence is both unavoidable and unjustifiable.
To govern means to pillage, as everyone knows.
There is no love of life without despair of life.