Either/Or Quotes

What wine is so sparkling, so fragrant, so intoxicating![Og hvilken Viin er saa skummende, hvilken saa duftende, hvilken saa berusende!]

What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like beautiful music.[Hvad er en Digter? Et ulykkeligt Menneske, der gjemmer dybe Qvaler i sit Hjerte, men hvis Læber ere dannede saaledes, at idet Sukket og Skriget strømme ud over dem, lyde de som en skjøn Musik.]

To be able to forget always depends upon how one remembers, but how one remembers depends upon how one experiences actuality.[At kunne glemme beroer altid paa, hvorledes man husker; men hvorledes man husker, beroer atter paa, hvorledes man oplever Virkeligheden.]

Time passes, life is a stream, etc., so people say. That is not what I find: time stands still, and so do I.[Tiden gaaer, Livet er en Strøm, sige Menneskene, o. s. v. Jeg kan ikke mærke det, Tiden staaer stille og jeg med.]

Through marriage one falls into a very deadly continuity with custom, and custom is like the wind and weather, something completely indeterminable.[Ved Ægteskabet geraader man desuden i en høist fatal Continuitet med Skik og Brug, og Skik og Brug er ligesom Veir og Vind noget aldeles Ubestemmeligt.]

There are, as is known, insects that die in the moment of fertilization. So it is with all joy: life’s highest, most splendid moment of enjoyment is accompanied by death.[Der er som bekjendt Insekter, der døe i Befrugtelsens Øieblik, saaledes er det med al Glæde, Livets høieste og yppigste Nydelses-Moment er ledsaget af Døden.]

The most ludicrous of all ludicrous things, it seems to me, is to be busy in the world, to be a man who is brisk at his meals and brisk at his work. Therefore, when I see a fly settle on the nose of one of those men of business in a decisive moment, or ifhe is splashed by a carriage that passes him in even greater haste, or Knippelsbro tilts up, or a roof tile falls and kills him, I laugh from the bottom of my heart.[Af alle latterlige Ting forekommer det mig at være det allerlatterligste at have travlt i Verden, at være en Mand, der er rask til sin Mad og rask til sin Gjerning. Naar jeg der|for seer en Flue i det afgjørende Øieblik sætte sig paa en saadan Forretningsmands Næse, eller han bliver overstænket af en Vogn, der i endnu større Hast kjører ham forbi, eller Knippelsbro gaaer op, eller der falder en Tagsteen ned og slaaer ham ihjel, da leer jeg af Hjertens Grund.]

Since boredom advances and boredom is the root of all evil, no wonder, then, that the world goes backwards, that evil spreads. This can be traced back to the very beginning of the world. The gods were bored; therefore they created human beings.[Hvad Under da, at Verden gaaer tilbage, at det Onde mere og mere griber om sig, da Kjedsommeligheden tiltager og Kjedsommelighed er en Rod til alt Ondt. Dette kan man forfølge lige fra Verdens Begyndelse. Guderne kjedede sig, derfor skabte de Menneskene.]

Pleasure disappoints; possibility does not.[Nydelsen skuffer, Muligheden ikke.]

Only man is wrong; to him alone is reserved what is denied to everything else-to be in the wrong in relation to God.[Kun Mennesket har Uret, ham ene er det forbeholdt, hvad der blev negtet Alt, at have Uret mod Gud.]

Old age fulfills the dreams of youth. One sees this in Swift: in his youth he built an insane asylum; in his old age he himself entered it.[Alderdommen realiserer Ungdommens Drømme: det seer man paa Swift, han byggede i sin Ungdom en Daarekiste, i sin Alderdom gik han selv i den.]

My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known – no wonder, then, that I return the love.[Mit Tungsind er den trofasteste Elskerinde, jeg har kjendt, hvad Under da, at jeg elsker igjen.]