“There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.”

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Meaning

The quote suggests that each day feels brief and fragile, as if it is repeatedly lost and begun again. It emphasizes how little time people actually hold onto any single day, from morning to evening. The wording also gives a sense of time being both granted and withdrawn.

When It Was Said

1951

Who It Was Said To

Not documented yet.

Historical Context

Not documented yet.

Source

Act 10, sc. 2

Original Language & Translation

Originally said in English.

Did They Really Say It?

Listed with a cited source on Wikiquote: Act 10, sc. 2.

Did You Know?

Wikiquote cites this quote to Act 10, sc. 2 of The Devil and the Good Lord.

About Jean-Paul Sartre

French philosopher, political activist, and writer

Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, political activist, and writer. He was a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism, and one of the central thinkers associated with existentialism. He also supported Libertarian Marxism, and his work went on to shape sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies. In 1964, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, though he tried to refuse it, saying that he usually declined official honors and that a writer should not become an institution.

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Books by Jean-Paul Sartre

La nausée

2005

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No Exit (and Three Other Plays)

1987

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Sursis

1973

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Iron In The Soul

1972

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