Meaning of this quote by kafka

Roquentin

You can hold yourself back from the sufferings of the world, that is something you are free to do and it accords with your nature, but perhaps this very holding back is the one suffering you could avoid.

Franz Kafka


i have my own interpretation of it, but would be interested to hear other posters opinions

shanered

One interperation id have is not fully allowing yourself to fail, to hold back and disallow rejection and shield your own potential and personality because of your fears of society's judgement on you.

Black Swan

Another Kafkaesque irony acknowledging the profound ambivalence of humanity to suffering; and of course, the subtle recognition of his own ambivalence to suffering.

Roquentin

my interpretation of it is this: You can escape the suffering or stress in the world but in doing so you bring suffering on yourself regardless. life is stress or suffering regardless of how you live.

for example you could go off and live in the wilderness and be free of bills and others stresses but you will still have other struggles.

knowing kafka he an existential alienation coupled with a fear of people that is common in those in the schizophrenic spectrum of disorders and thus he yearned to escape people (suffering) and escape into solitude but in doing so he still suffered.

RD laing using this quote in his book the divided self which looks at schizophrenia and how it occurs. the schziophrenic has a fear of society often and in trying to escape often makes the situation worse

Baked.noodle

You can hold yourself back from the sufferings of the world, that is something you are free to do and it accords with your nature, but perhaps this very holding back is the one suffering you could avoid.

I think he means you can shut yourself off from the suffering of others in the world, but in doing so you lose the connection and emotion you would have nurtured in yourself and others and suffer a kind of isolation as a consequence.

Taajsgpm

Roquentin wrote: »

You can hold yourself back from the sufferings of the world, that is something you are free to do and it accords with your nature, but perhaps this very holding back is the one suffering you could avoid.

Franz Kafka


i have my own interpretation of it, but would be interested to hear other posters opinions

You have to live life , to not is to truly suffer