"Man, in his immeasurable pride and vanity, is willing to believe that he can live against the laws of the world, violate them and rebel against them with impunity. It is as if the drop of water is saying, "I am different from the sea." Or the spark: "The fire won't catch on me." But man is nothing more than a simple part of the world. (...) Stone and metal also live longer than humans. Therefore, everything that we represent in the world through our body is insignificant. Only our soul is stronger and more permanent than stone and metal - therefore we should never see ourselves in any other way than in the volumes of our soul. The power that expresses itself in the perishable bodily tissue is not only a component, but also the meaning of the world. This force is the human soul. Everything else we mean and show in the world is ridiculous and pathetic.
"
Author
Márai SándorAll Translations
All Translations
"
Man, in his immeasurable pride and vanity, is willing to believe that he can live against the laws of the world, violate them and rebel against them with impunity. It is as if the drop of water is saying, "I am different from the sea." Or the spark: "The fire won't catch on me." But man is nothing more than a simple part of the world. (...) Stone and metal also live longer than humans. Therefore, everything that we represent in the world through our body is insignificant. Only our soul is stronger and more permanent than stone and metal - therefore we should never see ourselves in any other way than in the volumes of our soul. The power that expresses itself in the perishable bodily tissue is not only a component, but also the meaning of the world. This force is the human soul. Everything else we mean and show in the world is ridiculous and pathetic.
""Az ember, mérhetetlen gőgjében és hiúságában, hajlandó elhinni, hogy a világ törvényei ellen is élhet, megmásíthatja azokat és büntetlenül lázadhat ellenök. Mintha a vízcsepp ezt mondaná: "Én más vagyok, mint a tenger." Vagy a szikra: "Rajtam nem fog a tűz." De az ember semmi más, mint egyszerű alkatrésze a világnak. (...) A kő, a fém is tovább él, mint az ember. Ezért mindaz, amit testünkön át jelentünk a világban, jelentéktelen. Csak a lelkünk erősebb és maradandóbb, mint a kő és a fém - ezért soha nem szabad másképpen látnunk magunkat, mint lelkünk térfogataiban. Az erő, mely a romlandó testi szövetben kifejezi magát, nemcsak alkatrésze, hanem értelme a világnak. Ez az erő az emberi lélek. Minden más, amit a világban jelentünk és mutatunk, nevetséges és szánalmas."