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Levantado do Chão

Book by José Saramago · 4 quotes · Humanity, Life Philosophy, Poverty

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Levantado do Chão Quotes

“War ate a great a great deal and war grew fat and rich. War is a monster who empties men's pockets, coin by coin, before devouring the men themselves, so that nothing is lost and all is changed, which is the primary law of nature, as one learns later on. And when war has eaten its fill, when it is sated to the point of vomiting it, it continues its skillful pickpocketing, always taking from the same people, the same pockets. It's a habit acquired in peacetime.”

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“Ah, but life is a game too, a playful exercise, playing is a very serious, grave, even philosophical act, for children, it's part of growing up, for adults it's a link with their childhood, advantageous for some. Whole libraries of books have been written on the subject, all of them solid, weighty tomes, only a fool could fail to be convinced. The mistake lies in thinking that such profundity can be found only in books, when in fact a quick glance, a moment's attention, is all it takes to see how the cat plays with the mouse, and how the latter is eaten by the former. The question, the only one that matters, is knowing who exploits the initial innocence of the games, this game that was never innocent, for example, when the foreman says to the workers, Let's run, and see who gets there last, And the innocents, blind to the obvious deceit, run, trot, gallop, stagger from Monte Lavre to Vale de Cães, merely for the glory of arriving first or for the smug satisfaction of not being last. Because the last man, well, someone always has to be last, will have to put up with the jeers and mockery of the winners, who are already panting and breathless, they haven't even started work yet but the poor fools waste their breath on this explosion of scorn.”

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