Quote #
It’s funny: you can very well climb a mountain, have friends with you, laugh at all the jokes, and feel dead inside.
C’est drôle: on peut très bien escalader une montagne, avoir des amis avec soi, rire à toutes les blagues, et être mort.
Origin Story #
Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh #
I was on the internet an undetermined amount of time ago looking for quotes to match my mood and at the time I ran into this quote that is attributed to Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be able to pronounce all of it.
The original quote attributed to him is the following:
C’est drôle: on peut très bien marcher, sourire, traverser les rues, et être mort.
It’s funny: you can very well walk, smile, meander through the streets, and be dead.
Quotes on the Internet #
I’m glad I found the original quote. It seems to have come from someone of substance and profundity. Yet, the internet is filled with quotes that can be used to validate almost anything. Be careful of what you use to validate your actions.
Just because someone agrees with me doesn’t mean I’m right.
Just because someone disagrees doesn’t mean I’m wrong.
I live with the consequences I’ve caused.
I live with the consequences I haven’t caused.
A hike in the woods #
I was hiking one day with friends. If you’re a friend reading this and you have hiked with me maybe it was with you but please don’t take it personally. It had nothing to do with you and you were in fact being very supportive and I appreciate very much having friends like you that would go on a hike with me when I was not at my best.
Several times on the hike I recalled the quote by Jean Marie Lucien and as I did I looked around at my friends. These were friends that were willing to hike with me in the wilds of New Hampshire on a mountain we hadn’t been on before. The weather was sunny and very pleasant and we said hello to many a good hiker on the way up. We dipped our feet and heads in rivers to refresh ourselves. We had good conversations and I got to laugh many times at jokes that we told. Objectively, it was a great time and I enjoyed it.
Despite all that, I felt alone.
Now, looking back on it, I know that I was not alone. Thank you for being there; thank you for carrying me with your good spirit; thank you for your friendship.
Despite what I know now and the gratitude, I know that at the time I still felt utterly alone.
As a result, on the hike, I twisted the original quote from Jean Marie Lucien and I made it my own. Now you know it and have it to use if you wish, either to justify your views or deny them. Feel free to twist it to fit your experience as you need.