Louis Aragon Quotes

Powerful Louis Aragon for Daily Growth

About Louis Aragon

Louis Aragon (February 3, 1897 – October 4, 1982) was a seminal figure in 20th-century French literature and a central member of the Surrealist movement. Born in Paris, France, Aragon experienced an unconventional upbringing, with his father abandoning the family when he was young. This event instilled in him a lifelong sense of alienation and reinforced his connection to the working-class district of Belleville where he grew up. In 1916, Aragon enrolled at the prestigious École Normale Supérieure but was expelled two years later for his leftist political activities. This dismissal fueled his literary aspirations, and in 1918 he published his first collection of poems, "Feu de joie" (Celebratory Fire). The same year, Aragon met André Breton, who introduced him to Surrealism—a revolutionary artistic movement that sought to reveal the true nature of the subconscious through dreams, automatism, and irrationality. Aragon became an integral member of the Surrealist group, collaborating closely with figures such as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and René Magritte. In 1924, he published "Le Cabaret des Champs-Élysées," a landmark work that merged poetry, prose, and politics to critique the bourgeoisie. Throughout his life, Aragon remained deeply committed to leftist politics and the Communist Party. During World War II, he was one of the founders of the French Resistance and played an active role in the fight against Nazi occupation. After the war, he continued to write prolifically, producing novels, poems, essays, and film criticism. His magnum opus, the 12-volume "Paris Peasant" (1926–1948), is a sprawling epic that chronicles the history of Paris from the Middle Ages to the postwar period. Aragon's works are marked by their political engagement, poetic innovation, and keen observations of the human condition. His influence extends beyond literature, as he was also a talented filmmaker, journalist, and art critic. Today, Louis Aragon is regarded as one of the most important French writers of the 20th century and a key figure in the Surrealist movement.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Le mensonge dans l'art est ce qui fait que c'est de l'art."

"Lie in art is what makes it art" (Louis Aragon) suggests that the use of non-reality, imaginative elements or symbolic representation is essential to creating art. It implies that the artistry lies not only in accurately representing reality but also in transforming, embellishing, or distorting it for aesthetic purposes, thereby elevating ordinary life into something more profound and thought-provoking.


(Lying in art is what makes it art.)

Louis Aragon's quote emphasizes that a degree of creative license, or "lies," is an inherent aspect of art. By this, he suggests that the artistic process often involves manipulation of reality to create something more profound, meaningful, or beautiful than what can be found in everyday life. This interpretation aligns with the idea that art is a form of expression and communication that transcends literal truth, allowing for the exploration of emotions, ideas, and imaginative worlds.


"Il n'y a pas de temps perdu si vous en trouvez un bien utilisé."

Louis Aragon's quote, "Il n'y a pas de temps perdu si vous en trouvez un bien utilisé," can be translated to English as "There is no wasted time if you find a good use for it." In essence, the quote emphasizes the importance of making every moment count and finding purpose or value in seemingly idle moments. This perspective encourages us to view our time more mindfully, seeking opportunities for growth, learning, or productivity instead of idleness.


(There's no time wasted if it's well-used.)

Louis Aragon's quote suggests that every moment, regardless of its duration, can be meaningful and valuable if it is invested wisely or productively. In other words, the quality of how we spend our time determines whether it is wasted or not. This perspective encourages individuals to make conscious decisions about their actions and activities, ensuring they align with personal values and goals, thus maximizing the potential of each moment.


"Vouloir est ce qu'il faut, avoir est ce qui compte."

"To want is necessary, to have is what matters" - Louis Aragon emphasizes that having a desire or ambition (wanting) is essential, but what truly counts is actually attaining or possessing what one desires (having). This quote encourages persistence and hard work towards goals, rather than simply desiring them.


(To want is what counts, to have is what matters.)

This quote by Louis Aragon suggests that desire and aspiration (to want) hold greater significance than actual possession (to have). It implies that the pursuit of desires drives our actions and fulfills a deeper human need for purpose and progress, while possessions merely serve as tangible results or rewards of those desires. The essence of the quote underscores the idea that it's not just about what we acquire in life, but more importantly, about the journey and experiences gained through the pursuit of our desires.


"L'amour est en un mot, l'inexprimable; car s'il pouvait être exprimé, il n'était plus amour."

Louis Aragon's quote, "L'amour est en un mot, l'inexprimable; car s'il pouvait être exprimé, il n'étais plus amour," suggests that love, in one word, is the impenetrable or unspeakable, because if it could be expressed or put into words, it would no longer be love. This profound thought implies that true love transcends language and human understanding, making it an unattainable mystery to fully comprehend or articulate.


(Love, in one word, is the inexpressible; for if it could be expressed, it would no longer be love.)

This quote by Louis Aragon emphasizes that love, being an emotional and profound human experience, is inherently ineffable - beyond the scope of expression or words. If love could be fully captured and articulated, it might lose its essence as something deeply personal and intangible, transcending mere verbal comprehension. Love is a unique connection between individuals that defies simple explanation and remains enigmatic and extraordinary.


"L'art est une façon de ne pas mourir."

The quote "L'art est une façon de ne pas mourir" ("Art is a way not to die") by Louis Aragon suggests that art, in essence, provides a means for transcendence or survival beyond the physical life. It implies that through creativity, an individual can find a sense of immortality and eternal relevance. In other words, the act of creating art allows us to live on in some sense, even after our physical existence has ended.


(Art is a way of not dying.)

Louis Aragon's quote suggests that art serves as a means for humans to transcend the physical limitations of life, thus achieving an immortality of sorts. Through artistic expression, individuals can leave a lasting impact on society, long after their physical lives have ended. This interpretation underscores the transformative power and significance of art in human existence.


Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which people our life, which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash.

- Louis Aragon

Clash, Error, Our, Opposites

O reason, reason, abstract phantom of the waking state, I had already expelled you from my dreams, now I have reached a point where those dreams are about to become fused with apparent realities: now there is only room here for myself.

- Louis Aragon

Reason, Here, About, Phantom

Love is made by two people, in different kinds of solitude. It can be in a crowd, but in an oblivious crowd.

- Louis Aragon

Love, Crowd, Made, Solitude

We know that the nature of genius is to provide idiots with ideas twenty years later.

- Louis Aragon

Funny, Genius, Later, Twenty

I demand that my books be judged with utmost severity, by knowledgeable people who know the rules of grammar and of logic, and who will seek beneath the footsteps of my commas the lice of my thought in the head of my style.

- Louis Aragon

Beneath, Severity, Commas, Knowledgeable

Of all possible sexual perversions, religion is the only one to have ever been scientifically systematized.

- Louis Aragon

Only, Been, Ever, Sexual

There are strange flowers of reason to match each error of the senses.

- Louis Aragon

Flowers, Reason, Senses, Error

Fear of error which everything recalls to me at every moment of the flight of my ideas, this mania for control, makes men prefer reason's imagination to the imagination of the senses. And yet it is always the imagination alone which is at work.

- Louis Aragon

Flight, Always, Which, Error

Can the knowledge deriving from reason even begin to compare with knowledge perceptible by sense?

- Louis Aragon

Reason, Sense, Even, Compare

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