Desire is half of life; indifference is half of death.

The aphorism contrasts two inner stances: desire as a sign of vitality and engagement, and indifference as a kind of spiritual numbness. “Desire” here need not mean mere appetite; it can suggest aspiration, longing, curiosity, or love—forces that pull a person toward experience and growth. By calling it “half of life,” the line implies that to want, to care, and to reach outward is a primary ingredient of being fully alive. “Indifference,” by contrast, is portrayed as a partial death: not physical extinction, but a withdrawal from meaning and relationship. The symmetry of the phrasing turns it into a moral and existential warning against apathy.