I thought of the fate of Descartes’ famous formulation: man as ‘master and proprietor of nature.’ Having brought off miracles in science and technology, this ‘master and proprietor’ is suddenly realizing that he owns nothing and is master neither of nature (it is vanishing, little by little, from the planet), nor of History (it has escaped him), nor of himself (he is led by the irrational forces of his soul). But if God is gone and man is no longer master, then who is master? The planet is moving through the void without any master. There it is, the unbearable lightness of being. Milan Kundera
About This Quote

Coming from Jean-Paul Sartre, who was a French existentialist, this quote is an interpretation of the famous Descartes’ formulation. While everyone has their own interpretation of what Sartre meant by this statement, it does bring to light the idea that no one is in control of their own life. Our lives are completely dependent on outside forces. We can’t predict what will happen tomorrow or even an hour from now.

Everything that happens is out of our control and may be completely unknown to us at the time. It is entirely up to fate or God to decide which way our lives will go.

Source: The Art Of The Novel

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More Quotes By Milan Kundera
  1. I do my best thinking at night when everyone else is sleeping. No interruptions. No noise. I like the feeling of being awake when no one else is.
  2. The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count.
  3. People rarely bring flowers to a suicide.
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