Although this was not a comforting point of view, he did not reject it, because it coincided with one of his basic beliefs: that a man must at all costs keep some part of himself outside and beyond life. If he should ever for an instant cease doubting, accept wholly the truth of what his senses conveyed to him, he would be dislodged from the solid ground to which he clung and swept along with the current, having lost all objective sense, totally involved with existence.
Paul Bowles
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The character in Paul Bowles' "The Spider's House" grapples with the unsettling notion that absolute acceptance of reality can lead to losing oneself in the chaos of life. He believes it's essential to maintain a part of oneself that remains detached from the experiences and perceptions of existence, as doing so provides a foundation amidst uncertainty. Without this skepticism and distance, one risks being overwhelmed by life's complexities.

This perspective emphasizes the importance of critical thought and self-awareness. By choosing to question rather than accept blindly, the individual safeguards against being entirely absorbed by their surroundings. This belief underscores a fundamental struggle of navigating reality without losing sight of one's identity, affirming the value of maintaining a discerning and questioning outlook on life.

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The Spider's House
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Paul Bowles
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Other quotes in The Spider's House

The key question, it seemed to him, was that of whether man was to obey Nature, or attempt to command her. It had been answered long, long ago, claimed Moss; man's very essence lay in the fact that he had elected to command. But to Stenham that seemed a shallow reply. To him wisdom consisted in the conscious and joyous obedience to natural laws, yet when he had said that to Moss, Moss had laughed pityingly. 'My dear man, wisdom is a primitive concept,' he had told him. 'What we want now is knowledge.' Only great disillusionment could make a man say such a thing, Stenham believed.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
The key question, it seemed to him, was that of whether man was to obey Nature, or attempt to command her. It had been answered long, long ago, claimed Moss; man's very essence lay in the fact that he had elected to command. But to Stenham that seemed a shallow reply. To him wisdom consisted in the conscious and joyous obedience to natural laws, yet when he had said that to Moss, Moss had laughed pityingly. 'My dear man, wisdom is a primitive concept,' he had told him. 'What we want now is knowledge.' Only great disillusionment could make a man say such a thing, Stenham believed.
The insistent drums were an unwelcome reminder of the existence of another world, wholly autonomous, with its own necessities and patterns. The message they were beating out, over and over, was for her; it was saying, not precisely that she did not exist but rather that it did not matter whether she existed or not, that her presence was of no consequence to the rest of the cosmos. It was a sensation that suddenly paralyzed her with dread. There had never been any question of her "mattering"; it went without saying that she mattered, because she was important to herself. But what was the part of her to which she mattered?
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
The insistent drums were an unwelcome reminder of the existence of another world, wholly autonomous, with its own necessities and patterns. The message they were beating out, over and over, was for her; it was saying, not precisely that she did not exist but rather that it did not matter whether she existed or not, that her presence was of no consequence to the rest of the cosmos. It was a sensation that suddenly paralyzed her with dread. There had never been any question of her "mattering"; it went without saying that she mattered, because she was important to herself. But what was the part of her to which she mattered?
Even the smallest measure of time is greater than the greatest measure of space. Or is that a lie? Does it only seem so to us, because we can never get it back?
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
Even the smallest measure of time is greater than the greatest measure of space. Or is that a lie? Does it only seem so to us, because we can never get it back?
nothing would have meaning, because the knowing was itself the meaning; beyond that there was nothing to know.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
nothing would have meaning, because the knowing was itself the meaning; beyond that there was nothing to know.
That was one of the troubles with the Istiqlal, with all politics: you talked about people as though they were not really people, as though they were only things, numbers, animals, perhaps, but not really people.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
That was one of the troubles with the Istiqlal, with all politics: you talked about people as though they were not really people, as though they were only things, numbers, animals, perhaps, but not really people.
There could be nothing, he reflected, to equal a government which was simply the honest enforcement, by means of the sword, of the laws of Islam.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
There could be nothing, he reflected, to equal a government which was simply the honest enforcement, by means of the sword, of the laws of Islam.
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Other quotes in existence

How could a person have and do all these stupid things--clip coupons and double lock the front door--and then one day just cease to exist?
J. Courtney Sullivan Commencement
How could a person have and do all these stupid things--clip coupons and double lock the front door--and then one day just cease to exist?
I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I'm gone which would not have happened if I had not come.
Salman Rushdie Midnight's Children
I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I'm gone which would not have happened if I had not come.
Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.
Cormac McCarthy Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West
Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.
Although this was not a comforting point of view, he did not reject it, because it coincided with one of his basic beliefs: that a man must at all costs keep some part of himself outside and beyond life. If he should ever for an instant cease doubting, accept wholly the truth of what his senses conveyed to him, he would be dislodged from the solid ground to which he clung and swept along with the current, having lost all objective sense, totally involved with existence.
Paul Bowles The Spider's House
Although this was not a comforting point of view, he did not reject it, because it coincided with one of his basic beliefs: that a man must at all costs keep some part of himself outside and beyond life. If he should ever for an instant cease doubting, accept wholly the truth of what his senses conveyed to him, he would be dislodged from the solid ground to which he clung and swept along with the current, having lost all objective sense, totally involved with existence.
The tragedy of the man not set up for tragedy-that is every man's tragedy.
Philip Roth American Pastoral
The tragedy of the man not set up for tragedy-that is every man's tragedy.
I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.
Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar
I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.
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