“It is because I dove into the abyss that I am beginning to love the abyss I am made of.”
In this quote, Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector reflects on her experience of facing the unknown and embracing the darkness within herself. By diving into the abyss, which symbolizes the depths of her own thoughts and emotions, she discovers a newfound appreciation for the complexity of her being. This quote highlights the idea that true self-discovery often involves confronting our fears and uncertainties, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding and acceptance of ourselves. Lispector's words encourage us to embrace all aspects of ourselves, even the darkest parts, as they are integral to our identity and growth.
“I myself am an absolute abyss.”
“...we are of a broad, Karamazovian nature--and this is what I am driving at--capable of containing all possible opposites and of contemplating both abysses at once, the abyss above us, an abyss of lofty ideals, and the abyss beneath us, and abyss of the lowest and foulest degradation.”
“I am again in the present and awake. I close my eyes and am desperately trying to recapture the childhood memory. Now, however, I have to cross an abyss….”
“The anxiety engendered by confronting the abyss of nothingness [of the loss of self] is more terrifying than the tortures of hell. In the vision of hell, I am punished and tortured—In the vision of nothingness I am driven to the border of madness—because I cannot say ‘I’ any more.”
“I believe that theology is facing the abyss.I must face the abyss, the abyss of existence, the abyss of mystery. (Rubem Alves, p. 189)”