Witold Gombrowicz

Witold Gombrowicz

Witold Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 – July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and philosopher.

Quotes

Ferdydurke (1937)

• And she sat at dinner, oh, mature in her immaturity, self-confident, indifferent and alone, and I sat for her, for her, for her I sat and I could not for one second not sit for her, I was in her, she contained me in her along with my mockery, her tastes, her tastes were decisive for me and I could please myself only insofar as I pleased her.

• It's the end, what a gas,
  And who's read it is an ass!
  • Desctription: the last words of a book, translated by Danuta Borchardt.

• Now come, mouths! No, I am not saying goodbye to you, strange and unknown faces of strangers, unknown men who will read me, I welcome you, I welcome you, graceful bundles of body parts, now let it begin - come and join me, start your smooching, give me a new face, so that I will have to run away from you again into other people and run, run, run through all of humanity. For there is no escape from a mouth except into another mouth, and the only way to escape from a man is into the embrace of another. There is no escape from the butt at all. Chase me if you want. I run away with my mouth in my hands.

• What's worse, the forest was green.

• Why does Słowacki arouse admiration and love in us? (…) Because, gentlemen, Słowacki was a great poet!
  • See also: Juliusz Słowacki

• Without students, there would be no school, and without school, there would be no life!

• Without students, there would be no school, and without school, there would be no teachers.

Diary (1969)

• I demand death homes where everyone would have modern means of easy death at their disposal. Where you could die smoothly, not by throwing yourself in front of a train or hanging yourself on a doorknob. Where a tired, worn-out, finished man could surrender himself to the friendly arms of a specialist so that he could be assured of a death without torture and disgrace. Why not, I ask, why not? Who stops you from civilizing death?

• I have never needed God in my life - from my earliest childhood, not even for five minutes - I have always been self-sufficient.

• Monday - me, Tuesday - me, Wednesday - me, Thursday - me.

• You don't necessarily have to be a god to have followers.