Rene Daumal Quotes

A collection of quotes by Rene Daumal.

Rene Daumal (1908-1944) was a French writer, poet, and philosopher. He is best known for his novel "Mount Analogue", which explores the search for meaning and the limitations of human knowledge. Daumal was associated with the Surrealist movement and co-founded the literary magazine "Le Grand Jeu", which delved into metaphysical and spiritual themes. His works often questioned the nature of reality and the boundaries of existence. Sadly, Daumal's life was cut short by tuberculosis at the age of 36, but his writings continue to inspire readers with their philosophical reflections.

Man is head, chest and stomach. Each of these animals operat

Man is head, chest and stomach. Each of these animals operates, more often than not, individually. I eat, I feel, I even, although rarely, think. This jungle crawls and teems, is hungry, roars, gets angry, devours itself, and its cacophonic concert does not even stop when you are asleep.

Common experience is the gold reserve which confers an excha

Common experience is the gold reserve which confers an exchange value on the currency which words are; without this reserve of shared experiences, all our pronouncements are checks drawn on insufficient funds.

Truth is one, but error proliferates. Man tracks it down and

Truth is one, but error proliferates. Man tracks it down and cuts it up into little pieces hoping to turn it into grains of truth. But the ultimate atom will always essentially be an error, a miscalculation.

It is still not enough for language to have clarity and cont

It is still not enough for language to have clarity and content... it must also have a goal and an imperative. Otherwise from language we descend to chatter, from chatter to babble and from babble to confusion.

Words are made for a certain exactness of thought, as tears

Words are made for a certain exactness of thought, as tears are for a certain degree of pain. What is least distinct cannot be named; what is clearest is unutterable.