Albert Camus

Absurdism, The Stranger

Modern influential 106 sayings

Sayings by Albert Camus

It is normal to be sad when one is thinking.

1935-1942 (Notebooks I) — From 'Notebooks'.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

He who despairs of the human condition is a coward, but he who has hope for it is a fool.

Unknown — Attributed, but the exact phrasing is not easily found in his core philosophical texts. It might be …
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

We are all exiles, I tell you, all of us. And it is not always a bad thing.

1957 — From 'Exile and the Kingdom' (The collection's title story, 'The Adulterous Woman', or 'The Guest').
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There are times when the world is so dry and empty that the only thing left is to imagine what one is not.

1935-1942 (Notebooks I) — From 'Notebooks'.
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To be happy, one must be able to forget.

1942 — From 'The Myth of Sisyphus' or 'The Stranger'.
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The future is the only transcendence of men.

1951 — From 'The Rebel'.
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The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Unknown — This is a common inspirational quote, widely attributed to Confucius, Nelson Mandela, or others. It …
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The world is beautiful, and outside there is no salvation.

1939 — From 'Nuptials' (Noces), specifically the essay 'Summer in Algiers'.
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There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn.

1942 — The Myth of Sisyphus
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One day, when I am no more, I will be remembered as a writer who loved the sun, and the sea, and the earth.

1935-1942 (Notebooks I) — From his 'Notebooks'.
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All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.

1942 — The Myth of Sisyphus
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The only real progress is moral progress.

1960 (published posthumously) — From 'Resistance, Rebellion, and Death'.
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There are more things to admire in men than to despise.

1947 — The Plague
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Man is mortal, that may be; but let us die resisting, and if we die, let us die with the certainty that we have not betrayed justice.

1960 (published posthumously) — From 'Resistance, Rebellion, and Death'.
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One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

1942 — The Myth of Sisyphus
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I carry my revolt with me. I carry it in my heart.

1951 — From 'The Rebel'.
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The greatest luxury of our lives is to be able to wake up in the morning and not have to think about how we are going to survive.

Unknown — Attributed, but not easily found in his published works. Might be from an interview or a letter.
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I know that man is not an end but a means. But it is always an end for someone.

1951 — From 'The Rebel'.
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To conquer fate, one must not be afraid of death.

1942 — From 'The Myth of Sisyphus'.
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The absurd is lucid reason noting its limits.

1942 — The Myth of Sisyphus
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