The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

by Albert Camus

The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.

For on the one hand the absurd teaches that all experiences are unimportant, and on the other it urges toward the greatest quantity of experiences.

By the mere activity of consciousness I transform into a rule of life what was an invitation to death—and I refuse suicide.