“Negation is the mind's first freedom, yet a negative habit is fruitful only so long as we exert ourselves to overcome it, adapt it to our needs; once acquired it can imprison us.”

Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist

Emil Cioran was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist, and essayist who wrote in both Romanian and French. He is known for a body of work shaped by philosophical pessimism and a sharply distilled style. His writing often returns to suffering, decay, and nihilism, and is recognized as much for its aphoristic form as for its severity of thought. In 1937, he moved to Paris and later lived there in seclusion with his partner, Simone Boué, until his death in 1995.