Michel De Montaigne book Essays
Book III, Ch. 5. Upon some Verses of Virgil
Essais (1595), Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
“such mad confidence within despair.”
— Jean Paul Sartre, book Saint Genet
Saint Genet, Actor and Martyr (1952)
Original: (60).
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Jean Paul Sartre321
French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, sc… 1905–1980Related quotes
“They were not aware of the madness that lurked within their own minds.”
Michael Swanwick book Jack Faust
Source: Jack Faust (1997), Chapter 1, “Trinity” (p. 3)
Act I, scene ii. Compare: "To public feasts, where meet a public rout,— Where they that are without would fain go in, And they that are within would fain go out", John Davies, Contention betwixt a Wife, etc.
The White Devil (1612)
Auberon Herbert (1838–1906) British politician
Westminster Gazette (1893)
Miguel de Unamuno (1864–1936) 19th-20th century Spanish writer and philosopher
Credo quia absurdam — I believe because it is absurd
The Tragic Sense of Life (1913), Conclusion : Don Quixote in the Contemporary European Tragi-Comedy
Alan Moore (1953) English writer primarily known for his work in comic books
De Abaitua interview (1998)
Context: The magician to some degree is trying to drive him or herself mad in a controlled setting, within controlled laws. You ask the protective spirits to look after you, or whatever. This provides a framework over an essentially amorphous experience. You are setting up your terms, your ritual, your channels – but you deliberately stepping over the edge into the madness. You are not falling over the edge, or tripping over the edge.
When I was a kid, I used to go to the seaside and play in the waves. The thing you learn about waves, is that when you see a big one coming, you run towards it. You try and get out of its way and you’ll end up twenty yards up the beach covered in scratches. Dive into it, and then you can get behind it. You get on top it, you won’t be hurt. It is counter-intuitive, the impulse is to run away, but the right thing to do is to plunge into it deliberately, and be in control when you do it. Magic is a response to the madness of the twentieth century.