the poisonous world flows into my mouth like water into that of a drowning man
Franz Kafka Diaries, 1910-1923
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Franz Kafka expresses the overwhelming impact of negative experiences in his diaries from 1910 to 1923. He uses a vivid metaphor to illustrate how toxic influences can invade a person’s life, akin to how a drowning man is engulfed by water. This imagery captures the sense of helplessness and desperation that can accompany life's darker moments.

Through this quote, Kafka conveys a profound sense of struggle against an oppressive reality. It highlights the vulnerability individuals feel when faced with relentless adversity, exploring themes of existential despair and the inescapable nature of suffering. His reflections invite readers to consider the pervasive effects of such a "poisonous world" on the human psyche.

Franz Kafka expresses the overwhelming impact of negative experiences in his diaries from 1910 to 1923. He uses a vivid metaphor to illustrate how toxic influences can invade a person’s life, akin to how a drowning man is engulfed by water. This imagery captures the sense of helplessness and desperation that can accompany life's darker moments.

Through this quote, Kafka conveys a profound sense of struggle against an oppressive reality. It highlights the vulnerability individuals feel when faced with relentless adversity, exploring themes of existential despair and the inescapable nature of suffering. His reflections invite readers to consider the pervasive effects of such a "poisonous world" on the human psyche.

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Diaries, 1910-1923
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Franz Kafka
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Other quotes in Diaries, 1910-1923

For I underestimate myself, and that itself means an overestimation of others
Franz Kafka Diaries, 1910-1923
For I underestimate myself, and that itself means an overestimation of others
… my joints ache with fatigue, my dried up body trembles toward its own destruction in turmoils of which I dare not become fully conscious, in my head are astonishing convulsions.
Franz Kafka Diaries, 1910-1923
… my joints ache with fatigue, my dried up body trembles toward its own destruction in turmoils of which I dare not become fully conscious, in my head are astonishing convulsions.
A piece like a segment has been cut out of the back of his head. The sun looks in and the whole world with it. It makes him nervous, it distracts him from his work, and moreover it irritates him that he should be the very one excluded from the spectacle.
Franz Kafka Diaries, 1910-1923
A piece like a segment has been cut out of the back of his head. The sun looks in and the whole world with it. It makes him nervous, it distracts him from his work, and moreover it irritates him that he should be the very one excluded from the spectacle.
Peaceful moon. I consist only of bones.
Franz Kafka Diaries, 1910-1923
Peaceful moon. I consist only of bones.
The gesture of rejection with which I was forever met did not mean: 'I do not love you,' but: 'You cannot love me, much as you would like; you are unhappily in love with your love for me, but your love for me is not in love with you.' It is consequently incorrect to say that I have known the words, 'I love you'; I have known only the expectant stillness that should have been broken by my 'I love you,' that is all that I have known, nothing more.
Franz Kafka Diaries, 1910-1923
The gesture of rejection with which I was forever met did not mean: 'I do not love you,' but: 'You cannot love me, much as you would like; you are unhappily in love with your love for me, but your love for me is not in love with you.' It is consequently incorrect to say that I have known the words, 'I love you'; I have known only the expectant stillness that should have been broken by my 'I love you,' that is all that I have known, nothing more.
How many days have again gone silently by; today is 28 May. Have I not even the resolution to take this penholder, this piece of wood, in my hand every day? I really think I do not. I row, ride, swim, lie in the sun.
Franz Kafka Diaries, 1910-1923
How many days have again gone silently by; today is 28 May. Have I not even the resolution to take this penholder, this piece of wood, in my hand every day? I really think I do not. I row, ride, swim, lie in the sun.
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«In memory of the countless men and women of all creeds, nations, and races who fell victim to the fascist and communist belief in the Inexorable Laws of Historical Destiny.»
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Relationships and marriages are hard enough, but you add war into the mix and small fissures become gaping wounds. No one sees what you're seeing - again that clear-eyed, unbiased thing - except your fellow soldiers. It's like one of those movies where only the hero can see the ghosts and everyone else thinks the hero is crazy.
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Relationships and marriages are hard enough, but you add war into the mix and small fissures become gaping wounds. No one sees what you're seeing - again that clear-eyed, unbiased thing - except your fellow soldiers. It's like one of those movies where only the hero can see the ghosts and everyone else thinks the hero is crazy.
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