"Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself - and thus make yourself indispensable. " ~ André Gide
French writer and critic André Paul Guillaume Gide (1869-1951) was born on this day in Paris. The son of a law professor, Gide became passionate about books and writing when he was very young.
He once said: "Knowing how to free oneself is nothing; the difficult thing is knowing how to live with that freedom."
An inspiration to existentialists Albert Camus and John-Paul Sartre, Gide co-founded the esteemed literary magazine, The New French Review (La Nouvelle Revue Francaise) in 1908.
Gide's life celebrated honesty and uncompromising self-scrutiny. His classic novels included The Immoralist (1902), about individual freedom and the struggle between good and evil, and The Counterfeiters (1926), a candid look at life in Paris before World War I.
He wrote in Fruits of Earth, "Know that joy is rarer, more difficult, and more beautiful than sadness. Once you make this all-important discovery, you must embrace joy as a moral obligation."
When Gide was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947, his art was honored for its skill in capturing "human problems and conditions...presented with a fearless love of truth and keen psychological insight."
"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it," he said.
Do good work. Stay true to your craft.