The discourse of truth is quite simply impossible. It eludes…

The discourse of truth is quite simply impossible. It eludes itself. Everything eludes itself, everything scoffs at its own truth, seduction renders everything elusive. The fury to unveil the truth, to get at the naked truth, the one which haunts all discourses of interpretation, the obscene rage to uncover the secret, is proportionate to the impossibility of ever achieving this. …But this rage, this fury, only bears witness to the eternity of seduction and to the impossibility of mastering it. (p. 73)

Sourced, The Ecstasy of Communication (1987)

Other Jean Baudrillard Quotes

Take provocation, for instance, which is the opposite and the caricature of seduction. It says: “I know that you want to be seduced, and I will seduce you.” Nothing could be worse than betraying this secret rule. Nothing could be less seductive than a provocative smile or inciteful behaviour, since both presuppose that one cannot be seduced naturally and that one needs to be blackmailed into it, or through a declaration of intent: “Let me seduce you” (p. 67) - View Quote Details on Take provocation, for instance, which is the opposite and the…
Boredom is like a pitiless zooming in on the epidermis of time. Every instant is dilated and magnified like the pores of the face. - View Quote Details on Boredom is like a pitiless zooming in on the epidermis…
For nothing can be greater than seduction itself, not even the order that destroys it. - View Quote Details on For nothing can be greater than seduction itself, not even…
There are only a few images that are not forced to provide meaning, or have to go through the filter of a specific idea. - View Quote Details on There are only a few images that are not forced…
The close-up of a face is as obscene as a sexual organ seen from up close. It is a sexual organ. The promiscuity of the detail, the zoom-in, takes on a sexual value. (p. 43) - View Quote Details on The close-up of a face is as obscene as a…
Today’s terrorism is not the product of a traditional history of anarchism, nihilism, or fanaticism. It is instead the contemporary partner of globalization. - View Quote Details on Today’s terrorism is not the product of a traditional history…
The only thing worse than being bored is being boring. - View Quote Details on The only thing worse than being bored is being boring.
Sadder than the beggar is the man who eats alone in public. - View Quote Details on Sadder than the beggar is the man who eats alone…
THERE IS NEVER ANYTHING TO PRO-DUCE. In spite of all its materialist efforts, production remains a utopia. We can wear ourselves out in materializing things, in rendering them visible, but we will never cancel the secret. (p. 65) - View Quote Details on THERE IS NEVER ANYTHING TO PRO-DUCE. In spite of all…
Challenge, and not desire, lies at the heart of seduction. (p. 57) - View Quote Details on Challenge, and not desire, lies at the heart of seduction…