60+ Albert Camus Quotes to Inspire Existential Reflection

Albert Camus Quotes

Albert Camus was a French philosopher, writer, and journalist who is widely considered one of the most influential existentialist thinkers of the 20th century. His works, including "The Stranger," "The Plague," and "The Myth of Sisyphus," explore themes such as the absurdity of life, the meaning of existence, and the human condition. Camus was a master of pithy, powerful statements that cut straight to the heart of these profound questions. His quotes continue to inspire and challenge readers today, urging us to confront the complexities of our existence with courage, honesty, and compassion.

Albert Camus Quotes on Life

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

1. “I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.”
2. “The only serious question in life is whether to kill yourself or not.”
3. “Creating is living doubly . . . Creation is the great mime.”
4. "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
5. "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."
6. "When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him."
7. "The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants."
8. "Life is a sum of all your choices. So, what are you doing today?"
9. "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
10. "No matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back."
11. "Men must live and create. Live to the point of tears."
12. "Life can be magnificent and overwhelming – that is the whole tragedy. Without beauty, love, or danger it would almost be easy to live."
13. "I know of only one duty, and that is to love."
14. "Whoever gives nothing, has nothing. The greatest misfortune is not to be unloved, but not to love."
15. "It is necessary to fall in love… if only to provide an alibi for all the random despair you are going to feel anyway."
16. "We always deceive ourselves twice about the people we love - first to their advantage, then to their disadvantage."
17. "Sometimes, carrying on, just carrying on, is the superhuman achievement."

Albert Camus Quotes on Love

“Love is the kind of illness that does not spare the intelligent or the dull.”

1. “To create is to live twice.”  – Albert Camus
2. “But in the end one needs more courage to live than to kill himself.”
3. “Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present.”
4. “All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.”

5. “I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying). I therefore conclude that the meaning of life is the most urgent of questions.”

6. “It is natural to give a clear view of the world after accepting the idea that it must be clear.”
7. “Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep.”
8. “It was previously a question of finding out whether or not life had to have a meaning to be lived. It now becomes clear on the contrary that it will be lived all the better if it has no meaning.”
9. “We don’t have the time to completely be ourselves. We only have the room to be happy.”
10. “And I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. I don’t want any greatness for it, particularly a greatness born of blood and falsehood. I want to keep it alive by keeping justice alive.”  – Albert Camus
11. “Love is the kind of illness that does not spare the intelligent or the dull.”
12. “There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic. The boundary between them is not clearly defined.”
13. “How unbearable, for women, is the tenderness which a man can give them without love. For men, how bittersweet this is.”  – Albert Camus
14. “It is not humiliating to be unhappy. Physical suffering is sometimes humiliating, but the suffering of being cannot be, it is life.”  – Albert Camus
15. “Against eternal injustice, man must assert justice, and to protest against the universe of grief, he must create happiness.”

Albert Camus Quotes on Friendship

"Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."

1. "Always go too far, because that’s where you’ll find the truth."
2. "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
3. "Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better."
4. "Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."
5. "Yes, everything is simple. It is people who complicate things."
6. "Everything considered, a determined soul will always manage."
7. "Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it."
8. "But in the end, one needs more courage to live than to kill himself."
9. "But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?"
10. "Friendship often ends in love, but love in friendship – never."
11. "Don’t wait for the last judgment – it takes place every day."
12. "All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant’s revolving door."

Albert Camus Quotes Freedom

"An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself."

1. "Do not be afraid of spending quality time by yourself. Find meaning or don’t find meaning but “steal” some time and give it freely and exclusively to your own self. Opt for privacy and solitude. That doesn’t make you antisocial or cause you to reject the rest of the world. But you need to breathe. And you need to be.”
2. "I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, than live as if there isn’t and to die to find out that there is."
3. "To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others."
4. "Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken."
5. "Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it’s meaningless."
6. "You cannot create experience. You must undergo it."
7. "The Four Conditions of Happiness: Life in the open air, Love for another being, Freedom from ambition, Creation."
8. "There is no sun without shadow, and it is essential to know the night."
9. "An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself."
10. "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear."
11. "The need to be right – the sign of a vulgar mind."
12. “Truth is mysterious, elusive, always to be conquered. Liberty is dangerous, as hard to live with as it is elating. We must march toward these two goals, painfully but resolutely, certain in advance of our failings on so long a road.”

Albert Camus Quotes About Happiness

"Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable."

1. "Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is."
2. "Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable."
3. "People hasten to judge in order not to be judged themselves."
4. "Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal."
5. "You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question."
6. "Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee?"
7. "When the soul suffers too much, it develops a taste for misfortune."
8. "We all carry within us places of exile, our crimes, our ravages. Our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to transform them in ourselves and others."
9. "Without freedom, no art; art lives only on the restraints it imposes on itself, and dies of all others."
10. "A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world."
11. "I know that man is capable of great deeds. But if he isn’t capable of great emotion, well, he leaves me cold."
12. "For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life."

Related Quotes: 

Father Death Anniversary Quotes | Good Evening Quotes | Brother Quotes | Leadership Quotes | RIP Quotes | Sorry Quotes | Attitude Quotes | Sister Quotes | Good noon Quotes | Anime Quotes | Friendship Quotes | Smile Quotes | Good Morning Quotes | Fake People Quotes | Good Night Quotes | Positive Quotes | Anniversary Quotes | Relationship Quotes | Kobe Bryant Quotes | Funny Quotes | Strength Quotes | Happy Quotes | Kindness Quotes | Teachers Day Quotes | Encouraging Quotes | Inspirational Quotes | Life Quotes | Success Quotes | Quotes About Change | Birthday Quotes | Daughter Quotes | Christmas Quotes | Motivational Quotes | Peace Quotes | Cute Quotes | Family Quotes | Love Quotes | Sad Quotes | Depression Quotes | Graduation Quotes | Happy Friday Quotes | Radha Ashtami Quotes | Alone Quotes | It's Okay To Not Be Okay Quotes 

Brain Teaser: Find the Odd One in 10 Seconds

How to Hide Your Location on Snapchat? How to Turn Off Your Snapchat Location?

Optical Illusion: Can You Try to Find the Hidden Number in 10 Seconds?

• Next Article ››

Happy New Month Message to My Girlfriend: 99+ Wishes For Happy November 2023

305 days ago

Good Morning Images: Start Your Day with Positivity and Beauty

389 days ago

Best Happy Friendship Day Quotes, Wishes and Messages

394 days ago

Karma Quotes: Reflections on the Power of Actions and Consequences

397 days ago

100+ Best Famous Quotes for Wisdom and Motivation

405 days ago