A dictum [Beckett] quotes from his favourite philosopher, the second-generation Cartesian Arnold Geulincx (1624-1669) suggests his overall stance toward the political: ubi nihil vales, ibi nihil velis, which may be glossed: Don't invest hope or longing in an arena where you have no power.

The Making of Samuel Beckett, New York Review of Books, vol. LVI, no. 7 (April 30, 2009), p. 13