Quotes by Louis-Ferdinand Céline

I have never voted in my life... I have always known and understood that the idiots are in a majority so its certain they will win.

Philosophizing is simply one way of being afraid, a cowardly pretense that doesnt get you anywhere.

Not much music left inside us for life to dance to. Our youth has gone to the ends of the earth to die in the silence of the truth. And where, I ask you, can a man escape to, when he hasnt enough madness left inside him? The truth is an endless death agony. The truth is death. You have to choose: death or lies. Ive never been able to kill myself.

And where, I ask you, can a man escape to, when he hasn’t enough madness left inside him? The truth is an endless death agony. The truth is death. You have to choose: death or lies. I’ve never been able to kill myself.

There is no rest for the humble except in despising the great, whose only thought of the people is inspired by self-interest or sadism.

The mind is satisfied with phrased, but not the body, the body is more fastidious, it wants muscles. A body always tells the truth, thats why its usually depressing and disgusting to look at.

Life must go on, even if its no joke...just pretend to believe in the future.

It is of men, and of them only, that one should always be frightened.

People dont deserve the restraint we show by not going into delirium in front of them.

   Fine! Fine! Im listening...but its not very interesting!...   Oh, thats what you think! thats what you think! but nothing is very interesting, dear Professor Y! jot this down! take some notes!   What notes?   Just write!...that if it werent for wars, alcohol, blood pressure and cancer, the people in our atheistic Europe would soon be bored to death of life!

A woman who spends her time worrying about pregnancy is a virtual cripple, shell never go very far.

Weve no use for intellectuals in this outfit. What we need is chimpanzees. Let me give you a word of advice: never say a word to us about being intelligent. We will think for you, my friend. Dont forget it.

You know about innards? The trick they play on tramps in the country? They stuff an old wallet with putrid chicken innards. Well, take it from me, a man is just like that, except that hes fatter and hungrier and can move around, and inside theres a dream.

Chin up, Ferdinand, I kept saying to myself, to keep up my courage. What with being chucked out of everywhere, youre sure to find whatever it is that scares all those bastards so. It must be at the end of the night, and thats why theyre so dead set against going to the end of the night.

One little second of pleasure, a whole life of pain...my mother knew nothing of the pleasures of a good roll in the hay...she missed out on all that...like me, her son...a lifetime of sacrifice!...the woman who can grunt and rave in the throes of a deep fuck can die happy...

The rich dont have to kill to eat. They employ people, as they call it. The rich dont do evil themselves. They pay. People do all they can to please them, and everybodys happy.

Anybody who talks about the future is a bastard, its the present that counts. Invoking posterity is like making speeches to worms.

...apparently London gave out my address! thats what theyre saying...not just London, though! Brazzaville, too!...and said that Im a dirty pornographer...a letch besides being the most despicable traitor of the century!...Id make a urinal blush! that what we need is to cleanse France and the French language of this smut-writing, demoralizing, grammaclast whos sullying our sacred homeland and its literary heritage!

Now was the time to make quick tracks. Back to Fort-Gono, retrace my steps? Try to explain my conduct and the circumstances of the present disaster? I hesitated . . . Not for long. Nothing can be explained. The world only knows how to do one thing, to roll over and kill you, as a sleeper kills his fleas. That would be a stupid way to die, I said to myself, to let myself be crushed like everybody else. To put your trust in men is to get yourself killed a little.

The sadness of the world has different ways of getting to people, but it seems to succeed almost every time.