Despite the fact that Samuel Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1969, some still dismiss the Irish playwright and novelist as a meaningless dispenser of gloom. But, of course, there's far more to him than that. Beckett can be wickedly funny and profound, too.
In honor of his birthday, today, below are some of his bracing quotations, that I find myself often returning to:
“What is demanded of the artist is that, as an individual, he vanish from his work...
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Yes, you must be here, and also, millions of light-years away. All at the same time…
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Writing has led me to Silence
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[The mystics] I like… I like their… their illogicality… their burning illogicality – the flame… the flame… which consumes all our filthy logic.
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Ever Tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again.
Fail again. Fail better.
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You're on earth. There's no cure for that.”
