Youth is insolent; it is its right - its necessity; it has got to assert itself, and all assertion in this world of doubts is a defiance, is an insolence. Joseph Conrad More Quotes by Joseph Conrad More Quotes From Joseph Conrad It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream - making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is of the very essence of dreams. Joseph Conrad essence struggle dream Of all the inanimate objects, of all men's creations, books are the nearest to us for they contain our very thoughts, our ambitions, our indignations, our illusions, our fidelity to the truth, and our persistent leanings to error. But most of all they resemble us in their precious hold on life. Joseph Conrad ambition men book All one's work might have been better done; but this is a sort of reflection a worker must put aside courageously if he doesn't mean every one of his conceptions to remain forever a private vision, an evanescent reverie. Joseph Conrad reflection work mean Let them think what they liked, but I didn't mean to drown myself. I meant to swim till I sank -- but that's not the same thing. Joseph Conrad suicidal mean thinking They talk of a man betraying his country, his friends, his sweetheart. There must be a moral bond first. All a man can betray is his conscience. Joseph Conrad betrayal men country For the great mass of mankind the only saving grace that is needed is steady fidelity to what is nearest to hand and heart in the short moment of each human effort. Joseph Conrad effort heart hands claiming that the destructive practice of mountaintop removal mining, blowing the tops off mountains to get at the coal beneath, performs the "necessary" function of creating flat land for development To tear treasure out of the bowels of the land was their desire, with no more moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe. Joseph Conrad creating land practice It is when we try to grapple with another man's intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensible, wavering, and misty are the beings that share with us the sight of the stars and the warmth of the sun. Joseph Conrad stars sight men And suddenly I rejoiced in the great security of the sea as compared with the unrest of the land, in my choice of that untempted life presenting no disquieting problems, invested with an elementary moral beauty by the absolute straightforwardness of its appeal and by the singleness of its purpose. Joseph Conrad land choices sea The human heart is vast enough to contain all the world. Joseph Conrad enough heart world Action is consolatory. It is the enemy of thought and the friend of flattering illusions. Joseph Conrad literature action enemy I have been called romantic. Well, that can't be helped. But stay. I seem to remember that I have been called a realist also. And as that charge too can be made out, let us try to live up to it, at whatever cost, for a change. Joseph Conrad cost remember trying Everything belonged to him. It made me hold my breath in expectation of hearing the wilderness burst into prodigious peal of laughter that would shake the fixed stars in their places. Joseph Conrad laughter stars expectations A train of thought is never false. The falsehood lies deep in the necessities of existence. Joseph Conrad train-of-thought life lying I was constantly watching myself, my secret self, as dependent on my actions as my own personality Joseph Conrad personality self secret I have a voice, too, and for good or evil mine is the speech that cannot be silenced Joseph Conrad speech voice evil I saw him open his mouth wide. . . as though he had wanted to swallow all the air, all the earth, all the men before him. Joseph Conrad mouths air men A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea. Joseph Conrad dream life fall I remember my youth and the feeling that will never come back any more Joseph Conrad youth feelings remember They trespassed upon my thoughts. They were intruders whose knowledge of life was to me an irritating pretense, because I felt so sure they could not possibly know the things I knew. Their bearing, which was simply the bearing of commonplace individuals going about their business in the assurance of perfect safety, was offensive to me like the outrageous flauntings of folly in the face of a danger it is unable to comprehend. I had no particular desire to enlighten them, but I had some difficulty in restraining myself from laughing in their faces, so full of stupid importance. Joseph Conrad safety stupid perfect
