Who said “If I commit suicide, it will not be to destroy myself but to put myself back together…”?

Verified

Antonin Artaud. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Source“On Suicide,” no. 1, Le Disque Vert (1925).

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“If I commit suicide, it will not be to destroy myself but to put myself back together again. Suicide will be for me only one means of violently reconquering myself, of brutally invading my being, of anticipating the unpredictable approaches of God. By suicide, I reintroduce my design in nature, I shall for the first time give things the shape of my will.”
— Antonin Artaud
Verified“On Suicide,” no. 1, Le Disque Vert (1925). · evidenceSuicide
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: “On Suicide,” no. 1, Le Disque Vert (1925)..

APA

Artaud, A. (n.d.). If I commit suicide, it will not be to destroy myself but to put myself back together again. Suicide will be for me only one means of violently reconquering myself, of brutally invading my being, of anticipating the unpredictable approaches of God. By suicide, I reintroduce my design in nature, I shall for the first time give things the shape of my will. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39026-if-i-commit-suicide-it-will-not-be/

MLA

Artaud, Antonin. “If I commit suicide, it will not be to destroy myself but to put myself back together again. Suicide will be for me only one means of violently reconquering myself, of brutally invading my being, of anticipating the unpredictable approaches of God. By suicide, I reintroduce my design in nature, I shall for the first time give things the shape of my will.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39026-if-i-commit-suicide-it-will-not-be/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Artaud, Antonin. “If I commit suicide, it will not be to destroy myself but to put myself back together again. Suicide will be for me only one means of violently reconquering myself, of brutally invading my being, of anticipating the unpredictable approaches of God. By suicide, I reintroduce my design in nature, I shall for the first time give things the shape of my will.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39026-if-i-commit-suicide-it-will-not-be/.

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More quotes by Antonin Artaud

“No one has ever written, painted, sculpted, modeled, built, or invented except literally to get out of hell.”
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“Hell is of this world and there are men who are unhappy escapees from hell, escapees destined ETERNALLY to reenact their escape.”
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“It is not opium which makes me work but its absence, and in order for me to feel its absence it must from time to time be present.”
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“So long as we have failed to eliminate any of the causes of human despair, we do not have the right to try to eliminate those means by which man tries to cleanse himself of despair.”
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“When we speak the word ''life,'' it must be understood we are not referring to life as we know it from its surface of fact, but to that fragile, fluctuating center which forms never reach.”
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All 24 Antonin Artaud quotes →