Nathanaël, now throw away my book. Free yourself from it.
Genuine
Yes. In Fruits of the Earth (1897), Envoi, opening, said by the lyrical narrator. These are the character’s words, not a statement in Gide’s own voice.
Found word for word by program in the French original.
The English is our own translation, not yet reviewed: there is no public-domain translation of this text in our sources.
Checked against André Gide, Les Nourritures terrestres, deuxième édition (Paris: Société du Mercure de France, 1897), French text transcribed on Wikisource, Envoi, opening, in a full-text transcription.
- Work
- Fruits of the Earth (Les Nourritures terrestres), 1897
- Where
- Envoi, opening
- Found at
- Paragraph 1144 of the French text
- Translation
- Our own, not yet reviewed (no public-domain translation in our sources)
- Source
- André Gide, Les Nourritures terrestres, deuxième édition (Paris: Société du Mercure de France, 1897), French text transcribed on Wikisource, Envoi, opening
- Checked
- In a full-text transcription
Researched by AI; checked by program against the full text on 31 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
On the page
[…] Un amour ébloui les guide ; leur choix fixe des lois, et nous dépendons d’elles ; nous ne pouvons pas nous sauver. »
Nathanaël, à présent jette mon livre. Émancipe-t’en.1 Quitte-moi. Quitte-moi ; maintenant tu m’importunes ; tu me retiens ; l’amour que je me suis surfait pour toi m’occupe trop. Je suis las de feindre d’éduquer quelqu’un d’autre. Quand ai-je dit que je te voulais pareil à moi ? […]
Nathanaël, jette mon livre ; ne t’y satisfais point. Ne crois pas que ta vérité puisse être trouvée par quelque autre ; plus que de tout, aie honte de cela. […]
Jette mon livre ; dis-toi bien que ce n’est là qu’une des mille postures possibles en face de la vie. Cherche la tienne. Ce qu’un autre aurait aussi bien fait que toi, ne le fais pas. […]
Nathanaël, now throw away my book. Free yourself from it.
The scene
At the close of the book, the teacher tells Nathanaël to leave him and says that he never wanted the pupil to become his double. He admits that the supposed education of another has also been his own continuing self-education. The following paragraphs tell Nathanaël to find his own truth and his own way of facing life.
What it means
A book or teacher succeeds when the pupil can stop depending on it and live independently.
Often misread
Not an expression of contempt for books or a direction to imitate Gide’s own way of life. The surrounding passage explicitly values the pupil’s difference from the teacher and rejects one person finding another’s truth for him.
Topics
Related quotes
- What another would have done as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; what another would have written as well as you, do not write it.
- If what you eat does not make you drunk, it is because you were not hungry enough.
- For this is your duty, to act well the part that is given to you; but to select the part, belongs to another. Epictetus
- Nathanaël—let the importance be in your gaze, not in the thing you look at.
- First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. Epictetus
Sources
Cite it
André Gide, Fruits of the Earth (1897), Envoi, opening, our own translation. Spoken by the lyrical narrator. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/nathanael-throw-away-my-book/ (31 October 2026).
Have a different wording, or a source we missed? Check it or submit it.
Do you hold the rights to anything on this page? Tell us.
Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
Comments