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Cesare Pavese Quotes

Poet

Cesare Pavese, an Italian poet, was born on September 9, 1908, and died on August 27, 1950. His poetry is deeply influenced by the Italian literary tradition and blends modernist styles.

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All Men Knows Ifs Life World Suffering Love People Doe Moments Suicide Believe Destiny Home Lying Night Remember Should Want Whole

Famous Cesare Pavese Quotes

“Now that I've seen what war is, what civil war is, I know that everybody, if one day it should end, ought to ask himself: "And what shall we make of the fallen? Why are they dead?" I wouldn't know what to say. Not now, at any rate. Nor does it seem to me that the others know. Perhaps only dead know, and only for them is the war really over.”

Ifs Knows Should Doe War Ends Seems Asks Ought One Day Rate Fallen

Author:Cesare Pavese

“War makes men barbarous because, to take part in it, one must harden oneself against all regret, all appreciation of delicacy and sensitive values. One must live as if those values did not exist, and when the war is over one has lost the resilience to return to those values.”

Ifs Men War Values Lost Regret Return Oneself Appreciation Resilience Sensitive Delicacy

Book:This Business of Living

Source: This Business of Living

“Are you or aren't you convinced that weakness is a man's condition? How can you raise yourself if you haven't fallen first?”

Ifs Men Firsts Conditions Havens Weakness Raises Convinced Fallen

Book:Selected Works: Translated from the Italian and with an Introd. by R. W. Flint

Source: Selected Works: Translated from the Italian and with an Introd. by R. W. Flint

“You wait for nothing if not for the word that will burst from the deep like a fruit among branches.”

Ifs Waiting Fruit Branches

Book:Disaffections: complete poems 1930-1950

Source: Disaffections: complete poems 1930-1950

“Many men on the point of an edifying death would be furious if they were suddenly restored to health.”

Ifs Men Would Be Furious

Book:This Business of Living

Source: This Business of Living

“It is not that things happen to each of us according to his fate, but that he interprets what has happened, if he has power to do so, according to his sense of his own destiny .”

Ifs Happens Destiny Fate Happened Things Happen

Book:This Business of Living: Diaries 1935-1950

Source: This Business of Living: Diaries 1935-1950

“If it is true that one gets used to suffering, how is it that as the years go one always suffers more? No, they are not mad, those people who amuse themselves, enjoy life, travel, make love, fight they are not mad. We should like to do the same ourselves.”

People Ifs Should Years Used Suffering Fighting Enjoy Mad Making Love Enjoy Life

Book:This Business of Living

Source: This Business of Living

“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.”

“If it were possible to have a life absolutely free from every feeling of sin, what a terrifying vacuum it would be.”

Ifs Feelings Would Be Sin Scary Vacuums

Book:This Business of Living

Source: This Business of Living

“Living is like working out a long addition sum, and if you make a mistake in the first two totals you will never find the right answer. It means involving oneself in a complicated chain of circumstances.”

Ifs Life Firsts Mean Long Two Answers Mistake Education Circumstances Training Oneself Work Out Complicated Chains Ties Involving Right Answers

Book:This Business of Living

Source: This Business of Living

“Suffering is by no means a privilege, a sign of nobility, a reminder of God. Suffering is a fierce, bestial thing, commonplace, uncalled for, natural as air. It is intangible; no one can grasp it or fight against it; it dwells in time - is the same thing as time; if it comes in fits and starts, that is only so as to leave the sufferer more defenseless during the moments that follow, those long moments when one relives the last bout of torture and waits for the next.”

Source: This Business of Living: Diaries 1935-1950

“You need a village, if only for the pleasure of leaving it. A village means that you are not alone, knowing that in the people, the trees, the earth, there is something that belongs to you, waiting for you when you are not there.”

People Ifs Needs Mean Home Earth Waiting Pleasure Knowing Tree Leaving Village Not Alone Waiting For You

Author:Cesare Pavese

“But here's the worst part: the trick to life lies in hiding from those we hold most dear how much they mean to is; if not, we'd lose them.”

Ifs Mean Lying Loses Worst Dear Tricks Hiding

Author:Cesare Pavese

About the Author

Born: September 9, 1908
Died: August 27, 1950
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 193

Books & Sources

This Business of LivingRelated source material

Selected Works: Translated from the Italian and with an Introd. by R. W. FlintRelated source material

Il mestiere di vivere: Diario 1935-1950Related source material

This Business of Living: Diary: 1935-1950Related source material

La casa in collinaRelated source material

The Burning Brand: Diaries 1935-1950Related source material

This Business of Living: Diaries 1935-1950Related source material

Disaffections: complete poems 1930-1950Related source material

La bella estateRelated source material

La luna e i falòRelated source material

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