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Quote by Primo Levi

“He was a bricklayer; for fifty years, in Italy, America, France, then again in Italy, and finally in Germany, he had laid bricks, and every brick had been cemented with curses. He cursed continuously, but not mechanically; he cursed with method and care, acrimoniously, pausing to find the right word, frequently correcting himself and losing his temper when unable to find the word he wanted; then he cursed the curse that would not come.”

Quote by Primo Levi

Book:If This Is a Man / The Truce

Work

If This Is a Man / The Truce

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Primo Levi

Chemist and Italian Jewish author, known for his dual identity as a survivor of Nazi concentration camps and a chemist. His works profoundly reflect the moral dilemmas and psychological states of humans in extreme environments. more

“I worked in construction management and I don’t think construction workers are always honoured in the way they deserve. Barring natural disasters, a house or a 50-storey building is going to remain standing until it’s demolished, and that’s irrespective of the quality of craftsmanship. But the aesthetic qualities of good bricks will never be appreciated unless the workmanship is of the highest standard. Whether it’s writing, cooking or bricklaying, quality of workmanship will always be the determining factor as to whether or not the finished product turns out mediocre or really exceptional. The choice of brick - just like the choice of words or spices - may well have a large bearing on the aesthetics of a new build, be it a large housing estate or just an ordinary garden wall but put the trowel in the right hands and poor-quality bricks can be made to look much better than they really are.”

Construction Bricks Bricklayer Tradesman Tradesperson

Book:Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe

Source: Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe

“A good bricklayer can lay his last brick of the day, point up, wash up, turn his back on his day’s work, and every single one of the joints between the bricks will be exactly 15mm. Why? Because he’s done it so many times, that’s why. It’s repetitive. It’s probably the same for a good hairdresser, a mechanic, a musician, a prostitute and I’m sure Masai Warriors hunting lions in the heart of the Masai Mara.”

Construction Prostitution Prostitutes Masai Bricklayer Tradesman Construction Working Construction Skills

Book:Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe

Source: Wrong Planet - Searching for your Tribe

“As the pretensions of modernity are unmasked today, it is a good time for us to recover our nerve, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us]” (1Pe 3:15). By breaking into our history, sharing our history, and transforming that history from the inside out, God has indeed made himself the object of our knowledge.”

Sharing Our History

Book:Pilgrim Theology: Core Doctrines for Christian Disciples

Source: Pilgrim Theology: Core Doctrines for Christian Disciples