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The Separate Heart Quotes
The Separate Heart
by
Simon Robson12 ratings, 3.50 average rating, 3 reviews
The Separate Heart Quotes
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“Why do you devour everything?” I said. “Look at you—Haven’t you had your fill of life yet?”
He looked at me, for all the world like an elder brother.
“It is my intention,” he said, “to leave nothing left left over. No false reverence. I love my knees too much to dirty them by kneeling before anyone or anything.”
“Why, you pompous fool.”
“Perhaps,” he said. “You see, we don’t kneel down before that which is worthy—to think that is to make a mistake in psychology. We kneel to make ourselves worthy. We kneel as a means of generating the true spirit of submission. Not the other way around. So it is that the weak kneel, for it empowers them. It is the slave’s religion. If Narcissus kneels, Narcissus is worthy. That is the Western deal. So he kneels wherever he can. And you, you are the greatest kneeler I have ever met. You would even kneel to me. You are a born slave—yes, born to it—for you have not even the primitive republican’s desire to question your captivity. You see yourself in the heroes of books and you feel emancipated from the tyranny of living only one life. But heroes in novels are slaves, too—which is why you identify with them; they are trapped in their fictional worlds and you are trapped in the real one. If someone gave you the key to liberate yourself from your prison you wouldn’t know what to do with it.”
"What is the key?” I said, in spite of myself.
He paused, and gently pushed his empty glass towards me.
“Brilliance.”
At that moment I despised him.”
― The Separate Heart
He looked at me, for all the world like an elder brother.
“It is my intention,” he said, “to leave nothing left left over. No false reverence. I love my knees too much to dirty them by kneeling before anyone or anything.”
“Why, you pompous fool.”
“Perhaps,” he said. “You see, we don’t kneel down before that which is worthy—to think that is to make a mistake in psychology. We kneel to make ourselves worthy. We kneel as a means of generating the true spirit of submission. Not the other way around. So it is that the weak kneel, for it empowers them. It is the slave’s religion. If Narcissus kneels, Narcissus is worthy. That is the Western deal. So he kneels wherever he can. And you, you are the greatest kneeler I have ever met. You would even kneel to me. You are a born slave—yes, born to it—for you have not even the primitive republican’s desire to question your captivity. You see yourself in the heroes of books and you feel emancipated from the tyranny of living only one life. But heroes in novels are slaves, too—which is why you identify with them; they are trapped in their fictional worlds and you are trapped in the real one. If someone gave you the key to liberate yourself from your prison you wouldn’t know what to do with it.”
"What is the key?” I said, in spite of myself.
He paused, and gently pushed his empty glass towards me.
“Brilliance.”
At that moment I despised him.”
― The Separate Heart
