Quotes by Albert Camus

“Generosity consists not the sum given, but the manner in which it is bestowed”

“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.”

“What is a rebel? A man who says no”

“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”

“Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.”

“A single sentence will suffice for modern man: he fornicated and read the papers”

“To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others”

“Its a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.”

“Human relationships always help us to carry on because they always presuppose further developments, a future -and also because we live as if our only task was precisely to have relationships with other people.”

“Dont wait for the last judgment - it takes place every day.”

“At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures - be what he is. And, above all, accept these things.”

“The rebel can never find peace. He knows what is good and, despite himself, does evil. The value which supports him is never given to him once and for all”

“To know oneself, one should assert oneself.”

“Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it.”

“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.”

“The modern mind is in complete disarray. Knowledge has stretched itself to the point where neither the world nor our intelligence can find any foot-hold. It is a fact that we are suffering from nihilism.”

“Truly fertile Music, the only kind that will move us, that we shall truly appreciate, will be a Music conducive to Dream, which banishes all reason and analysis. One must not wish first to understand and then to feel. Art does not tolerate Reason.”

“Realism should only be the means of expression of religious genius... or, at the other extreme, the artistic expressions of monkeys which are quite satisfied with mere imitation. In fact, art is never realistic though sometimes it is tempted to be. To be really realistic a description would have to be endless.”

“Man is an idea, and a precious small idea once he turns his back on love.”

“After another moments silence, she mumbled that I was peculiar, that that was probably why she loved me but that one day I might disgust her for the very same reason”