Bk. 2, ch. 1
“
The sense of unhappiness is so much easier to convey than that of happiness. In misery we seem aware of our own existence, even though it may be in the form of a monstrous egotism: this pain of mine is individual, this nerve that winces belong to me and to no other. But happiness annihilates us: we lose our identity.
— Graham Greene
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The sense of unhappiness is so much easier to convey than that of happiness. In misery we seem aware of our own existence, even though it may be in the form of a monstrous egotism: this pain of mine is individual, this nerve that winces belong to me and to no other. But happiness annihilates us: we lose our identity." in the context of "Bk. 2, ch. 1" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Graham Greene" (Quotes, The End of the Affair (1951))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English novelist, playwright, short story writer, travel writer and critic whose works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world.
About Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English novelist, playwright, short story writer, travel writer and critic whose works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world.
View all quotes →