5 phrases by Albert Camus that will change your way of seeing life

The Nobel Prize-winning writer Albert Camus stands out above all for his way of seeing life.. In his books he leaves clear examples of the evolution of the characters according to their personality, where each of us can see ourselves reflected.

Albert Camus is recognized for his humanist literature. Influenced by the philosophy of F. Nietzsche, he places special emphasis on the absurdity of the human condition, striving to bring awareness and perspective through his literary works.

Albert Camus and his existentialist thought

The presence of existentialism in the thought of Albert Camus is very marked in all his literary work.. In his best-known works such as “The Stranger”, “The Plague”, “The Myth of Sisyphus”, etc., the author makes us aware of his deepest concerns, with a reflective and lucid thought about the human existence.

In his works he tells us essentially about the spiritual crisis of our time, within the framework of religious, political and artistic manifestation. Offering us with his philosophical ideas, new dimensions about how we can live the issues that concern us all.

In his sentences we can see what his great reflections and concerns were. Camus leaves us a literary legacy so that we dare to see ourselves, with our miseries, manias, virtues, deceptions and abilities. In this selection of phrases we analyze some of the most characteristic ones.

The true misfortune is not to love

“Not being loved is a simple misfortune; “The true misfortune is not to love.”

In this phrase the strength and fullness of the act of loving is revealed.. A sign for those who have experienced unrequited love, that what they have felt is worth it despite everything, no matter how much pain is experienced, no matter how much sadness appears.

In the act of loving itself we can see ourselves, with that capacity to admire another being with all its beauty., through a look that surpasses the rational. Even if this feeling is frustrated, those who have experienced it will know that, above all, it is preferable to have felt it. Being something so valuable that it is generated in our being with no other intention than to love.

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Freedom should be for everyone

“Every time a man in the world is chained, we are chained to him. Freedom must be for everyone or no one.”

A phrase with a humanist essence, in which he declares that freedom cannot exist as long as there is a man in this world who continues without it. Obtaining our freedom as a result of other people losing theirs is an inhuman act..

Camus thus vindicates compassion and solidarity so that every human being can have the same rights.. Thus putting themselves against the fact that there are a few who obtain these rights at the cost of them being taken away from others.

We cannot love without loving ourselves first

“Man has two faces: he cannot love without loving himself.”

Many philosophers and great thinkers show us this idea, in which it is not possible to love without first having loved oneself. Part of the meaning, that We can only give what we have, love is no exception; It is undeniable that this feeling is the result of what we are capable of giving.

If you are capable of cultivating your self-love, of providing yourself with care and attention, at that moment you will be creating the necessary conditions to be able to share such a feeling, from what you are and from the honest love that you have created.

Hope lies deep within us

“In the depths of winter I finally learned that an invincible summer lived within me.”

All hope lies in us, in our attitude and the perspective that we are able to adopt at all times.. When we consider who we are through our achievements and what we have, we are placing our value outside of ourselves.

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It is easy and predictable that this type of very superficial value is ephemeral and that sooner or later it is susceptible to being destroyed. When we put value in who we are, accepting our difficulties and fears, we learn to count on ourselves in the face of any disappointment and frustrated issue.

true generosity

“True generosity, in relation to the future, consists of giving everything to the present”

We know that everything we are part of a present moment and that accumulation of moments is what makes up our future.. We sow every moment so that experience emerges and that is how we obtain our learning.

Giving everything to the present consists of doing what we could at that moment, with respect to what we want. This is how we build our destiny, focusing on each situation trying to give the best of ourselves. What we currently live is a consequence of what we have learned and the attitude we take towards each of our experiences..

Which of these Albert Camus phrases would you choose? All of them contain a very valuable lesson that we need to internalize. Today we tend to complain and settle into victimhood more than we should. What if we started doing the opposite and seeing our present with eyes of hope?