Poems and Prose
Meaning
"What makes people despair is that they try to find a universal meaning
to the whole of life, and then end up by saying it is absurd, illogical,
empty of meaning. There is not one big cosmic meaning for all, there is
only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an
individual plot, an individual novel, a book for each person. To seek a
total unity is wrong. To give as much meaning to one's life as possible
is right to me. For that is a contribution to the whole. Forexample,
I am not committed to any of the political movements, which I find full
of fanaticism and injustice. But in the face of each human being, I act
democratically and humanly. I give each human being his due. I disregard
class and possessions. I pay my respects to their spirit, their human
qualities or their talents. I fulfill their needs as much as I am able to.
If all of us acted in unison as I act individually there would be no wars
and no poverty."
Anais Nin
Volume 2, 1934-1939