A Thread for Posting Brutally Pessimistic Quotes by Anguished Philosophers

Every misanthrope, however sincere, at times reminds me of that old poet, bedridden and utterly forgotten, who in a rage with his contemporaries declared he would receive none of them. His wife, out of charity, wold ring at the door from time to time. ...

Cioran

Now that's a goddamn ZING

yowwwww

Been reading some Schopenhauer, who is great (except when writing about women, about who he is a complete fuckwit).

“The appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be not monsieur or sir, but fellow sufferer, companion in misery."

"[...] it seemed like the seasons, connecting in right angles, for some misguided reason, had formed a square, sarcastically framing nothing." - Tao Lin

meh

Sarcastic framing is a perfectly good reason to form a square.

Imagine a number of men in chains, all under sentence of death, some of whom are each day butchered in the sight of the others; those remaining see their own condition in that of their fellows, and looking at each other with grief and despair await their turn. This is the image of the human condition.

except, as a devout catholic, pascal only said that as the preliminary softening up jab before delivering his real convictions, that the death sentence could be commuted by god and all that anguish allayed to joy

religion and (worldly) pessimism go hand-in-hand.

it's not for nothing that so many of those quoted on this thread are quite critical of Enlightenment (ie, secular) derived ideals of human perfectibility.

Every misanthrope, however sincere, at times reminds me of that old poet, bedridden and utterly forgotten, who in a rage with his contemporaries declared he would receive none of them. His wife, out of charity, wold ring at the door from time to time. ...
Cioran

― 龜, Wednesday, 11 March 2015 21:02 (Yesterday) Permalink

Strangely I actually find this quote kind of optimistic.

except, as a devout catholic, pascal only said that as the preliminary softening up jab before delivering his real convictions, that the death sentence could be commuted by god and all that anguish allayed to joy

Pascal was a devout Catholic, but he was sympathetic to Jansenism (very anti-Jesuit) and Augustinian, i.e. had a very profound sense of original sin and the futility of "free will." Salvation (granted by God only to some) was utterly dependent on God's grace (unmerited)-- in Pascal the prospect of salvation has something absurd and (as it were) kafkaesque about it. Ryan otm that this pessimism is "critical of Enlightenment (ie, secular) derived ideals of human perfectibility." But even whatever metaphysical consolation there is in Pascal, is a gamble against the odds-- not very comforting at all.

One thing about great pessimists, they're great aphorists. Maybe if I give up all hope I'll write better sentences.

good aphorists, like good pessimists, certainly do not say 'maybe'.

alas

now that's more like

"In the end, everything is found to be wanting." -Frank Lentricchia (lit critic but oh well)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCRZZC-DH7M

i was very pleased with my charity shop book haul of today until i opened at random the schopenhauer book i got and read this: "buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents." :(

you got schoped

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEQamgEW0AAXKYc.png

born 202 years ago today

was reading a new yorker piece on K and this one is a gem: "“There are two possible situations—one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it—you will regret both.”

“There are two possible situations—one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it—you will regret both.”

<3

you will regret either, really.

well I guess you regret both the doing and the not doing.

so i was wrong

you would have regretted not making that post

at least that regret would have been contained to my own self ;_;

now everyone regrets it. forgot to mention that part, Søren.

:)

(you forget that misery loves company)

into both those quotes

"let's drink til our hearts stop" - space ghost

“There are two possible situations—one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it—you will regret both.”

Kinda comforting, to me anyway. I hate decisions a lot, it's nice to know they don't matter.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CFDtjGfW8AIIgnU.png

OTM

just some chill buddhism

If a bear ever charges me and pins me down, I swear I'll look him in the eye and say, "you're right to do this, we're a vile species" before he starts eating my face.

― #HipsterTroll has been blocked. #BringItOn (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Sunday, May 17, 2015 12:15 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

coming soon, eugene thacker tries to contribute to the canon:
http://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Pessimism-Univocal-Eugene-Thacker/dp/193756147X/

http://defamer.gawker.com/a-kendall-kylie-interview-so-good-i-literally-want-to-1708536577

Kendall had an epiphany about social media on a recent family holiday to Thailand. “We had a two-hour drive from the airport to where we were staying, and I’d left my phone in my bag, so I didn’t touch it the whole way. I looked out the window at everything, and I saw people who live in huts and have dogs that were, like, withering away. And all their food, meat, was hanging in front of their house. It was very sad.

iirc schopenhauer had much the same experience on his grand tour

Someone needs to turn these into FB macros

Not to be born is best
when all is reckoned in, but once a man has seen the light
the next best thing, by far, is to go back
back where he came from, quickly as he can.
For once his youth slips by, light on the wing
lightheaded… what mortal blows can he escape
what griefs won’t stalk his days?
Envy and enemies, rage and battles, bloodshed
and last of all despised old age overtakes him,
stripped of power, companions, stripped of love—
the worst this life of pain can offer,
old age our mate at last.

myth of silenus?

expressed by chorus in oedipus @ colonus
echoing, yes, the wisdom of silenus

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/11351316_882616678478374_2959348984621827832_n.jpg?oh=6571456239eb5f3735bc5b7102246f3e&oe=55F84A24

let's make the best of the situation before i finally go insane

- eric clapton

http://i.imgur.com/re0GCuv.png

http://40.media.tumblr.com/04216a3895b907eacb0d84c90e99e345/tumblr_nqhba4aomV1rodhzko1_1280.jpg

perfect w/ cheerful av photo