Marguerite Duras Quotes

Powerful Marguerite Duras for Daily Growth

About Marguerite Duras

Marguerite Duras (1914-1996) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker renowned for her introspective, autobiographical, and emotionally charged works. Born Margaret Duras in Giunco, Indochina (present-day Vietnam), she spent the first 20 years of her life immersed in the rich cultural tapestry of colonial Southeast Asia, a region that would significantly influence her writing. In 1938, Marguerite moved to Paris, where she worked as a secretary while pursuing her passion for literature. Her first novel, "Our Little Game" (1942), was published during the German Occupation of France and received mixed reviews. It was followed by "The Sea Wall" (1950)—a semi-autobiographical account of her experiences in Indochina—and the critically acclaimed "The Lover" (1954). This novel, a poignant exploration of a love affair between a French teenager and an older Chinese man, became a bestseller and was adapted into a successful film in 1992. Duras' unique writing style, characterized by stream-of-consciousness narratives, repetitive phrases, and unconventional narrative structures, set her apart from her contemporaries. Her works often delved into themes of love, memory, identity, and the destructive power of the past on the present. Some of her most celebrated works include "The Ravaged Parallel" (1967), "India Song" (1973), and "The Vice-Consul" (1984). Duras was also an accomplished filmmaker, directing over 20 films throughout her career. Her best-known works include the critically acclaimed "Hours Close to Forever" (1966) and "India Song" (1975). In addition to her literary and cinematic accomplishments, Duras was a vocal advocate for Algerian independence during France's war in Algeria. Marguerite Duras died in Paris on March 3, 1996, leaving behind an extensive body of work that continues to captivate readers and inspire artists worldwide. Her unique voice and unflinching exploration of the human condition have cemented her place as a significant figure in contemporary French literature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The face does not lie. The eyes express more than the mind knows."

This quote suggests that our facial expressions often reveal emotions or thoughts that are beyond our conscious awareness, deeper feelings that our minds might not fully understand or acknowledge yet. Essentially, it emphasizes the power of non-verbal communication in revealing truths about a person's emotions or inner state, even when they may be unaware or unwilling to share these truths verbally.

"Love is when a river carries you away, where it will."

This quote suggests that love, in its purest form, is a powerful force that sweeps individuals off their feet, guiding them on an uncharted journey beyond their control, much like a river carrying a vessel downstream. It implies a surrendering to the natural flow of emotions and the unknown future with the trusted companion as the riverbank. In essence, Duras encapsulates love as an irresistible and transformative experience that takes us on a life-changing course we didn't choose but gladly embrace.

"To be with you is to be born again."

This quote by Marguerite Duras suggests that being in a deeply meaningful and transformative relationship can bring about a renewed sense of life, love, and purpose. It implies that the presence of someone special can make one feel reborn or reinvigorated, as if starting a new chapter in life.

"The present moment is always richer and stranger than any construction we can put on it."

This quote by Marguerite Duras highlights that the immediate experience, or the 'present moment', holds a depth and mystery beyond our capacity to fully comprehend or express through constructed interpretations or narratives. The present is intrinsically rich and unique, transcending any limitations of human understanding, encouragement to fully immerse oneself in it rather than trying to define or categorize it.

"The essential in life changes very little."

Marguerite Duras' statement suggests that despite the superficial or apparent changes in life, what is truly essential or fundamental remains largely unchanged. This could refer to human nature, values, emotions, or universal truths. It underscores the enduring nature of these elements, implying a sense of continuity and familiarity amidst the flux of daily experiences. In essence, it suggests that while life may present new challenges, the core aspects that define us as individuals or as a species retain their inherent qualities over time.

Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the contrary, it encourages him in his folly, it transports him to the supreme regions where he is master of his own destiny.

- Marguerite Duras

Destiny, Folly, Regions, Console

It's only women who are not really quite women at all, frivolous women who have no idea, who neglect repairs.

- Marguerite Duras

Idea, No Idea, Really, Frivolous

I believe that always, or almost always, in all childhoods and in all the lives that follow them, the mother represents madness. Our mothers always remain the strangest, craziest people we've ever met.

- Marguerite Duras

Always, Lives, Almost, Strangest

Alcohol is barren. The words a man speaks in the night of drunkenness fade like the darkness itself at the coming of day.

- Marguerite Duras

Alcohol, Night, Like, Fade

I see journalists as the manual workers, the laborers of the word. Journalism can only be literature when it is passionate.

- Marguerite Duras

Passionate, I See, Manual, Laborers

Journalism without a moral position is impossible. Every journalist is a moralist. It's absolutely unavoidable.

- Marguerite Duras

Journalist, Absolutely, Journalism

When a woman drinks it's as if an animal were drinking, or a child. Alcoholism is scandalous in a woman, and a female alcoholic is rare, a serious matter. It's a slur on the divine in our nature.

- Marguerite Duras

Nature, Woman, Drinking, Scandalous

You have to be very fond of men. Very, very fond. You have to be very fond of them to love them. Otherwise they're simply unbearable.

- Marguerite Duras

Love, Very, Otherwise, Fond

No other human being, no woman, no poem or music, book or painting can replace alcohol in its power to give man the illusion of real creation.

- Marguerite Duras

Alcohol, Give, Human Being, Creation

In love there are no vacations. No such thing. Love has to be lived fully with its boredom and all that.

- Marguerite Duras

Love, Boredom, Lived, Vacations

Heterosexuality is dangerous. It tempts you to aim at a perfect duality of desire.

- Marguerite Duras

Desire, Aim, Perfect, Heterosexuality

The house a woman creates is a Utopia. She can't help it - can't help trying to interest her nearest and dearest not in happiness itself but in the search for it.

- Marguerite Duras

Women, Woman, Dearest, Creates

It was the men I deceived the most that I loved the most.

- Marguerite Duras

Men, Loved, Most, Deceived

Men like women who write. Even though they don't say so. A writer is a foreign country.

- Marguerite Duras

Country, Like, Though, Foreign Country

It's afterwards you realize that the feeling of happiness you had with a man didn't necessarily prove that you loved him.

- Marguerite Duras

Feeling, Prove, Had, Afterwards

The best way to fill time is to waste it.

- Marguerite Duras

Time, Best, Waste, Best Way

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