One of the first signs of the beginning of understanding is the wish to die. This life appears unbearable, another unattainable. One is no longer ashamed of wanting to die; one asks to be moved from the old cell, which one hates, to a new one, which one willl only in time come to hate. In this there is also a residue of belief that during the move the master will chance to come along the corridor, look at the prisoner and say: "This man is not to be locked up again, He is to come with me. . Franz Kafka
About This Quote

This quote, taken from French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre's The Devil and the Good Lord , is significant because it illustrates the unsettling feeling of depression. When you feel like you can't go on, there is hope. The first step to recovery is understanding the meaning of your depression and accepting that you are not, in fact, dead.

Source: Blue Octavo Notebooks

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