How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph). We used Constance Garnett's translation.
Quote #10
[The notes of this paradoxalist do not end here, however. He could not refrain from going on with them, but it seems to us that we may stop here.] (2.10.24)
This endnote makes an important point: the Underground Man declares he will stop writing, but then proceeds not to. This means not only can he not start an action, he can't seem to stop one either. Sound familiar? That's because he said as much in Part I, Chapter V: "All my life I have been able neither to begin nor to finish anything." Or, to put it another way, he's suffering from inertia: the tendency for things to stay as they are.