André Malraux quotes
1901 – 1976 · 20th century · novelist, essayist, art theorist and statesman
About André Malraux
Born 1901 in Paris, Malraux combined novels and art theory with public service. Active in the Resistance and later as Minister of Cultural Affairs, he wrote on modernity's spiritual dilemmas late in life. A memorable formula is popularly linked to him, but scholars say the exact attribution is disputed.
Works: Man's Fate; The Hope; The Royal Way
Quotes
“The twenty-first century will be spiritual or it will not be.”
Source: Interview with Pierre Desgraupes, Le Point, 1975 · Check the source
Disputed attribution What we know
- What is documented
- Scholars conclude the popular formula captures Malraux's concern about a future spiritual question, but the exact sentence is not securely attested in his writings.
- What remains uncertain
- The famed wording is disputed: Malraux is reported to have denied the neat aphorism, and better‑documented phrasings are more cautious and complex.
This line captures a modern worry: technological progress without spiritual meaning risks civilizational collapse. It echoes Malraux's late reflection that the coming age would face a spiritual question, a theme he developed in 1970s interviews rather than as a neat, verifiable epigram.