Seven Great Quotes From Albert Camus
Most of Albert Camus’ quotes show his rebellious spirit. Born in 1913, this Frenchman was one of the most notable novelists, journalists and philosophers of the 20th century.
He lost his father in the war, before his first birthday. He grew up in poverty and could only study thanks to a scholarship they gave to children of dead veterans. Despite his difficult upbringing , he won the Nobel Prize in Literature on his 44th birthday.
He was strongly influenced by Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche. However, Camus defined himself as an anarchist. His work focused on the absurdity of existence.
Discover seven of his best quotes here!
To love and be loved
This is one of the most famous Albert Camus quotes of all time:
In this quote, he states that love is an active quality. Camus was a fan of freedom and autonomy. Therefore, what he believed about love is not surprising. He always emphasized the importance of being a subject, rather than an object of sentiment.
Walking side by side
This quote speaks of friendship. It also reflects his rejection of hierarchies. Albert Camus was independent and left-wing, always condemning different forms of power.
Thoughts about success
Camus didn’t talk much about success because he thought it was a bit ‘absurd’. He basically believed that existence itself was a failure for lack of meaning. Here we show you one of his quotes about success:
In this quote, he goes against the usual concept of success as a great victory and rather sees it as an ethical, meritorious thing.
In the heart of winter
Albert Camus had a difficult childhood, mainly because of the poverty in which he lived. However, thanks to his professor Louis Germain, he was able to discover the wonderful world of literature. He felt so grateful for this that he devoted part of his speech to Germain when he accepted his Nobel Prize.
This next quote is about that willingness to resist and overcome adversity. It goes like this:
being normal
Many Albert Camus quotes are ironic and funny. Does this make them less intellectual and deep? Absolutely not. However, they do show that he was a genius who in no way lost his humility. His quote that best describes this is the following:
Albert Camus quotes and the meaning of life
As we said before, Albert Camus often wrote about the absurdity of existence. He didn’t quite understand the way some people chose to live their lives. He felt that everyone was desperately searching for their true purpose in life, not realizing that their lives were slipping out of their hands as they did so.
This next quote expresses a very true paradox:
Experiencing the darkness
Because of his upbringing, Camus had to grow up quickly. This has many disadvantages, but also advantages. He realized that everything he had experienced in his life made him who he was in the present moment.
In this quote he expresses that difficult times lead to personal growth.
Albert Camus articulated human reality in a way that people will admire forever. His work is elegant, creative, raw and will never go out of style.
