Kafka is one of the most read authors in the world. In his short life he had time to leave us some of the best books in the history of literature that even today, more than 100 years after his death, continue to inspire generations of readers.
In his work, which explores the existential anguishwe can find deep reflections on the meaning of life that help us think. There are many Kafka phrases that continue to shake us today or discover another way of looking. Sometimes they also exude irony and a sense of humor and can make a small smile. Here we have collected 22 of the most inspiring.
Sometimes we deny that most pessimistic or distressing vision of the world in ourselves, we look for meaning by denying what it is difficult for us to give it to, but reflect on it, delve into those darkest parts of human feeling and detect those flashes of light that others also knew how to see in the darknesscan help you navigate difficult times and have a more balanced view of reality. Not only that, it can even be as comforting as the most beautiful phrases about life.
Life and work of Kafka
Franz Kafka He was born in 1883 in Prague, which at that time was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, into a German-speaking Jewish family. He was the eldest of six children and maintained a complicated relationship with his domineering fathersomething that greatly influenced his work.
He studied law and worked as an insurance agent (a job that seemed tedious to him, but necessary to earn a living), while In his free time he dedicated himself to writing. Although he published some things during his lifetime, most of his work was published posthumously by his friend Max Brod, even though Kafka had asked him to destroy his manuscripts.
His main works, The metamorphosis, The process and the castleexplore themes such as alienation, bureaucracy, guilt, and the absurdity of modern life. Between 1917 and 1918 he also collected his reflections in Blue notebooks in eighth gradewhere many of his most famous aphorisms come from.
Kafka struggled for years against tuberculosis, a disease that ultimately caused his premature death at the age of 40.
22 inspiring quotes by Franz Kafka
Summer is an ideal time to immerse yourself in reading. If you are thinking about read Kafkaor you simply have more time to let your mind wander and are looking for inspiration, here are some of his most famous phrases to start:
9. “A book should be the ax that breaks the frozen sea inside us.”
True literature not only entertains, it also transforms us from within.
10. «I am free and that is why I am lost.»
This is the paradox of freedom: It is a desirable objective that can also generate uncertainty.
11. “All human errors are the result of impatience, premature interruption of an orderly process, artificial obstacle erected around an artificial reality.”
The impatience It leads us to abandon reflective methods that would allow us to have a more general and accurate vision.
12. “It is only because of their stupidity that some can be so sure of themselves.”
He overconfidence It often arises from ignorance. Embrace your insecurity and take advantage of it to explore what it is trying to tell you.
13. “A cage went out in search of a bird.”
This inversion of the natural order of the phrase (more than the bird in search of freedom, it is the cage that searches for something to confine) symbolizes the longing for meaning, purpose or control, and the difficulty of maintaining freedom of spirit. By pointing his finger at this difficulty, however, Kafka is giving it value and reminding us that we all have the soul of a bird inside us, wings that we can spread.
14. «I write in a different way than I speak, I speak in a different way than I should think and so on until the deepest darkness.»
A reflection by Kafka on the consequences of not aligning thought, word and action.
15. “As long as you have food in your mouth, you have resolved all questions for the moment.”
The basic needswhich unfortunately not everyone has covered, temporarily put life’s biggest concerns on hold.
16. “A writer who does not write is a monster who flirts with madness.”
For a true writer, writing is not optional: It is an act of survival and sanity.
17. “The meaning of life is that it stops.”
The meaning of life is inseparable from its impermanence.
18. “I only truly feel myself when I am unbearably unhappy.”
Pain, according to Kafka, reveals authentic existence and inner truth.
19. “Faith is the virtue of the incomprehensible.”
Faith involves accepting that which cannot be fully understood or rationalized.
20. «Association with human beings draws us toward self-observation.»
Interaction with people can make us more aware of ourselves.
21. «You don’t need to leave your room. Stay at your table and listen. Don’t even listen, just wait, be silent, still and alone. The world will be offered to you freely for you to unmask.»
When we wait calmly and attentivelythe hidden truths of the world are revealed naturally.
22. “Every language is nothing more than a bad translation.”
Language cannot fully capture the essence of experience or reality. It is always a imperfect representation.
If you were interested in this article and would like to receive more about a healthy lifestyle, join the Bodymente WhatsApp channel.
Download the free eBook «Indoor Plants», exclusive content created by the experts of Bodymente magazine that reveals the care that the most common indoor plants need.