When Tarrou expressed astonishment at the cloistered existence he led, he explained, more or less, that the first half of a man's life was an ascent and the other half a descent, and that in the descent a man's days no longer belonged to him, that they could be taken away from him at any moment, that consequently there was nothing he could do and that the best thing was in fact to do nothing.
Lehenengo trena hartu eta etorri zen berriz etxera. Tarrouk, haren etxe barruko bizimodua ikusirik harridura azalduz, aditu zituen besteak esaten zizkionak, alegia, erlijioaren arabera, gizonaren bizitzaren lehenengo erdia goraldia omen zela eta beste erdia beheraldia, beheraldikoak ez omen zeuden gizonaren esku, edozein momentutan eraman zezaketela, ezin zuela beraz ezertxo ere egin eta gauzarik onena, hain zuzen ere, ezer ez egitea zela.