“Believe me there is no such thing as great suffering, great regret, great memory....everything is forgotten, even a great love. That's what's sad about life, and also what's wonderful about it. There is only a way of looking at things, a way that comes to you every once in a while. That's why it's good to have had love in your life after all, to have had an unhappy passion- it gives you an alibi for the vague despairs we all suffer from.”
— Albert Camus
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Life is a beautiful, bittersweet collection of fleeting moments. Albert Camus captures this perfectly: “Believe me there is no such thing as great suffering, great regret, great memory....everything is forgotten, even a great love. That's what's sad about life, and also what's wonderful about it. There is only a way of looking at things, a way that comes to you every once in a while. That's why it's good to have had love in your life after all, to have had an unhappy passion- it gives you an alibi for the vague despairs we all suffer from.” How do you find beauty in the things that don't last? Share your thoughts below. 🤍✨
About this quote
We often spend our lives trying to build monuments out of our memories, clinging to our deepest pains and most intense loves as if they are permanent fixtures of our soul. We fear that if we forget, we lose a part of ourselves. But Albert Camus offers a profound perspective on the bittersweet nature of existence: the very impermanence that makes life feel fleeting is the same quality that allows us to heal and find new ways of seeing the world. This quote serves as a gentle reminder that while suffering and regret feel eternal in the moment, time has a way of softening the edges of even our greatest heartaches. There is a quiet liberation in knowing that nothing is meant to last forever. Instead of viewing the fading of passion or memory as a loss, we can view it as a release—an invitation to experience life anew, unburdened by the weight of what once was. Our past loves and even our 'unhappy passions' aren't just scars; they are the beautiful evidence that we truly lived, providing us with the emotional depth to navigate the mysterious despairs of the human condition.
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