Beds last on an average much longer than marriages. Michel Houellebecq More Quotes by Michel Houellebecq More Quotes From Michel Houellebecq Depressive lucidity, usually described as a radical withdrawal from ordinary human concerns, generally manifests itself by a profound indifference to things which are genuinely of minor interest. Thus it is possible to imagine a depressed lover, while the idea of a depressed patriot seems frankly inconceivable. Michel Houellebecq ordinaryprofoundideas I hadn’t seen any novel make the statement that entering the workforce was like entering the grave. That from then on, nothing happens and you have to pretend to be interested in your work. And, furthermore, that some people have a sex life and others don’t just because some are more attractive than others. I wanted to acknowledge that if people don’t have a sex life, it’s not for some moral reason, it’s just because they’re ugly. Once you’ve said it, Michel Houellebecq enteringsexpeople Tenderness is a deeper instinct than seduction, which is why it is so hard to give up hope. Michel Houellebecq seductioninstinctgiving-up I'd say that the question whether love still exists plays the same role in my novels as the question of God's existence in Dostoevsky. Michel Houellebecq existencerolesplay Active people don't change the world profoundly; ideas do. Napoleon is less important in world history than Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Michel Houellebecq jean-jacques-rousseaupeopleideas People are suspicious of single men on vacation, after they get to a certain age: they assume that they're selfish, and probably a bit pervy. I can't say they're wrong. Michel Houellebecq vacationselfishmen Adolescence is not only an important period in life, but that it is the only period where one may speak of life in the full sense of the word. Michel Houellebecq importantspeakmay When we think about the present, we veer wildly between the belief in chance and the evidence in favour of determinism. When we think about the past, however, it seems obvious that everything happened in the way that it was intended. Michel Houellebecq waypastthinking I am for the muscles. I would like to have a lot of muscles, because women like it. I'm for bodybuilding, but it's very exhausting. Michel Houellebecq bodybuildingmusclesexhausting A reactionary is someone who wants to return to a previous state - that's never a possibility in my books. For me, everything's irreversible in the life of a society, as well as an individual's. Michel Houellebecq returnwantbook Life is painful and disappointing. It is useless, therefore, to write new realistic novels. We generally know where we stand in relation to reality and don’t care to know any more. Michel Houellebecq uselesswritingreality Love binds, and it binds forever. Good binds while evil unravels. Separation is another word for evil; it is also another word for deceit. Michel Houellebecq deceitevilforever I prefer reading to writing. Reading changes your world view. Writing changes absolutely nothing. Except, of course, when it makes you rich. Michel Houellebecq readingviewswriting Not having anything around to read is dangerous: you have to content yourself with life itself, and that can lead you to take risks. Michel Houellebecq dangerousrisk it’s true this world our breathing laboured inspires nothing more than obvious disgust a desire to flee without our share and no longer read the headlines we long to return to our ancestral home where our forebears once lived under an angel’s wing we long to find that strange morality which sanctified life to the end we crave something like loyalty like the embrace of mild addictions something that transcends yet contains life we cannot live far from eternity Michel Houellebecq loyaltyangelhome Now abideth beauty, truth, and intensity; but the greatest of these is intensity. Michel Houellebecq intensity To increase desires to an unbearable level whilst making the fulfillment of them more and more inaccessible: this was the single principle upon which Western society was based. Michel Houellebecq unbearableprinciplesdesire In reality, the monotheist texts preach neither peace, love nor tolerance. They are texts of hate. Michel Houellebecq tolerancehatereality When you read the Koran, you give up. At least the Bible is very beautiful because Jews have an extraordinary literary talent. Michel Houellebecq talentgiving-upbeautiful An entire life spent reading would have fulfilled my every desire; I already knew that at the age of seven. The texture of the world is painful, inadequate; unalterable, or so it seems to me. Really, I believe that an entire life spent reading would have suited me best. Such a life has not been granted me. Michel Houellebecq readingagebelieve
