Emil Cioran Quotes

1911–1995 France

Emil Cioran (8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher and essayist whose work is known for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, which frequently engages with issues of suffering, decay, and nihilism.

France
Academics
Educators
Essayists
Philosophers

Also known as: Cioran, Cioran, Emile, E. M. Cioran, Emile Cioran

Random Emil Cioran quote

487 quotes

Nothing is so wearing as the possession or abuse of liberty.

History and Utopia (1960)

Every utopia about to be realized resembles a cynical dream.

Drawn and Quartered (1983)

A gifted humanity can only produce skeptics, never saints.

The Temptation to Exist (1956)

To have committed every crime but that of being a father.

The Trouble With Being Born (1973)

A heart without music is like beauty without melancholy.

Tears and Saints (1937)

A distant enemy is always preferable to one at the gate.

History and Utopia (1960)

Life creates itself in delirium and is undone in ennui.

A Short History of Decay (1949)

Ennui is the echo in us of time tearing itself apart.

A Short History of Decay (1949)

To have accomplished nothing and to die overworked.

Anathemas and Admirations (1987)

Man is fulfilled only when he ceases to be man.

Drawn and Quartered (1983)

Saints live in flames; wise men, next to them.

Tears and Saints (1937)

Nothing proves that we are more than nothing.

A Short History of Decay (1949)

No one can enjoy freedom without trembling.

History and Utopia (1960)

One hardly saves a world without ruling it.

History and Utopia (1960)

Thought is as much a lie as love or faith.

A Short History of Decay (1949)

Not to be born is undoubtedly the best plan of all. Unfortunately, it is within no one's reach.

The Trouble With Being Born (1973)

Music is everything. God himself is nothing more than an acoustic hallucination.

Tears and Saints (1937)

If someone incessantly drops the word "life," you know he's a sick man.

All Gall Is Divided (1952)

To get up in the morning, wash and then wait for some unforeseen variety of dread or depression. I would give the whole universe and all of Shakespeare for a grain of ataraxy.

The Trouble With Being Born (1973)

Every act of courage is the work of an unbalanced man. Animals, normal by definition, are always cowardly except when they know themselves to be stronger, which is cowardice itself.

Drawn and Quartered (1983)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Emil Cioran (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.