Camus himself described this work as 'an attempt to understand the time I live in'.

There is merely bad luck in not being loved; there is misfortune in not loving. All of us, today, are dying of this misfortune. For violence and hatred dry up the heart itself; the long fight for justice exhausts the love that nevertheless gave birth to it.

In order to exist just once in the world, it is necessary never again to exist.

The absurd has meaning only in so far as it is not agreed to.

Integrity needs no rules.

Every authentic work of art is a gift offered to the future.

There was a time when I didn’t at any minute have the slightest idea how I could reach the next one. Yes, one can wage war in this world, ape love, torture one’s fellow man, or merely say evil of one’s neighbour while knitting. But, in certain cases, carrying on, merely continuing, is superhuman.