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Joseph Brodsky

Joseph Brodsky Quotes

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Famous Joseph Brodsky Quotes

“Language and, presumably, literature are more ancient and inevitable, more durable than any form of social organization. The revulsion, irony, or indifference often expressed by literature toward the state is essentially the reaction of the permanent-better yet, the infinite-against the temporary, against the finite.”

StatesFormLiteratureLanguageSocialOrganizationInfiniteAncientReactionsInevitablePermanentIronyIndifferenceTemporaryFiniteRevulsionSocial Organization
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“...boredom speaks the language of time, and it is to teach you the most valuable lesson in your life--...the lesson of your utter insignificance. It is valuable to you, as well as to those you are to rub shoulders with. 'You are finite,' time tells you in a voice of boredom, 'and whatever you do is, from my point of view, futile.' As music to your ears, this, of course, may not count; yet the sense of futility, of limited significance even of your best, most ardent actions is better than the illusion of their consequence and the attendant self-satisfaction.”

WellsMaySelfActionCoursesSpeakLanguageVoiceViewsTeachLessonsIllusionConsequenceEarsSatisfactionValuablePoint Of ViewShouldersBoredomSignificanceFiniteFutilityArdentInsignificanceSelf-satisfactionValuable Lessons
Author:Joseph Brodsky
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