And therein lies the whole of man's plight. Human time does not turn in a circle; it runs ahead in a straight line. That is why man cannot be happy: happiness is the longing for repetition.

千里之行，始於足下。

Milan Kundera

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

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More information about this quote

Topic

Time Happiness The human condition

Author

Milan Kundera

Source

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Medium

Novel

Language

Czech

Time

1984 1980s 20th century

Occupation

Novelist Writer

From

Czech Republic Europe

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Kundera, Milan. L'insoutenable légèreté de l'être [The Unbearable Lightness of Being]. Gallimard, 1984.

Current Citation

Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, translated by Michael Henry Heim. Harper Perennial, 2009.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Milan Kundera about time: “And therein lies the whole of man's plight. Human time does not turn in…”
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A quote by Milan Kundera about time: “And therein lies the whole of man's plight. Human time does not turn in…”
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A quote by Milan Kundera about time: “And therein lies the whole of man's plight. Human time does not turn in…”
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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote from the 1980s

Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight.

Bruce Cockburn

Lovers in a Dangerous Time

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More information about this quote
Topic
Progress
Speaker
Bruce Cockburn
Source
Lovers in a Dangerous Time Stealing Fire
Medium
Song
Genre
Pop music
Statement Type
Metaphor, analogy and simile
Language
English
Time
1984 1980s 20th century
Authentication Score 2
Citation

Cockburn, Bruce. "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." Stealing Fire. True North Records, 1984.

Another quote about Time

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that's the stuff life is made of.

Poor Richard (Benjamin Franklin)

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Read this proverb at the National Archives website
More information about this quote
Topic
Wasting time Time Nature of life

Author

Poor Richard (Benjamin Franklin)
Source
Poor Richard's Almanack
Medium
Almanac
Statement Type
Advice
Language
English
Time
1746 1740s 18th century
Era
Colonial America
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Franklin, Benjamin [published as Richard Saunders]. Poor Richard's Almanack. Philadelphia, 1746.

Current Citation

Franklin, Benjamin. "Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1746." Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings, edited by J. A. Leo Lemay. Library of America, 2005.