...the human being to lack that second skin we call egoism has not yet been born, it lasts much longer than the other one, that bleeds so readily. Jose Saramago More Quotes by Jose Saramago More Quotes From Jose Saramago The painter paints, the musician makes music, the novelist writes novels. But I believe that we all have some influence, not because of the fact that one is an artist, but because we are citizens. Jose Saramago artist writing believe ...this is the way fate usually treats us, it's right there behind us, it has already reached out a hand to touch us on the shoulder while we're still muttering to ourselves, It's all over, that's it, who cares anyhow. Jose Saramago who-cares fate hands If we cannot live entirely like human beings, at least let us do everything in our power not to live entirely like animals. Jose Saramago humans ifs animal The difficult thing isn't living with other people, it's understanding them. Jose Saramago difficult understanding people Every thing in life is a uniform; the only time our bodies are truly in civilian dress is when we're naked. Jose Saramago naked things-in-life dresses ...we confidently say that it's not worth trying to reach any conclusions merely because we decide to stop halfway along the path that would lead us straight to them. Jose Saramago path fear trying Yet human experience and the practice of communication have shown throughout the ages that definitions are an illusion, like having a speech defect and trying to say love but unable to get the word out, or, better, having a tongue in one's head but unable to feel love. Jose Saramago communication practice love I was a good pupil at primary school: in the second class I was writing with no spelling mistakes, and the third and fourth classes were done in a single year. Jose Saramago mistake writing school . . . if there is a way for the world to be transformed for the better, it can only be done by pessimism; optimists will never change the world for the better. Jose Saramago done way world all stories are like those about the creation of the universe, no one was there, no one witnessed anything, yet everyone knows what happened. Jose Saramago creation-of-the-universe happened stories Somewhere in the infinite that He occupies, God advances and withdraws the pawns of the other games He plays, but it is too soon to worry about this one, all He need do for the present is allow things to take their natural course, apart from the occasional adjustment with the tip of His little finger to make sure some stray thought or action does not interfere with the harmony of destinies. Jose Saramago destiny games play Being fired was the best luck of my life. It made me stop and reflect. It was the birth of my life as a writer. Jose Saramago birth luck made Death has no need to be cruel, taking people's lives is more than enough. Jose Saramago life-is people needs This is the effect of panic, a natural effect, you could say that animal nature is like this, plant life would behave in exactly the same way, too, if it did not have all those roots to hold it in the ground, and how nice it would be to see the trees of the forest fleeing the flames. Jose Saramago flames nice animal In the end we discover the only condition for living is to die. Jose Saramago conditions dies ends We live in a very peculiar world. Democracy isn't discussed, as if it was taken for granted, as if democracy had taken God's place, who is also not discussed. Jose Saramago democracy peculiar taken As so often happens, the thing left undone tires you most of all, you only feel rested when it has been accomplished. Jose Saramago undone accomplished tire If I could repeat my childhood, I would repeat it exactly as it was, with the poverty, the cold, little food, with the flies and pigs, all that. Jose Saramago childhood littles pigs There are those who deny me the right to speak of God, because I am not a believer. And I say that I have every right in the world. I want to talk about God because it is a problem that affects all humanity. Jose Saramago humanity want world Perfect moments, especially when they verge on the sublime have the grave disadvantage of being very short lived, which in fact, being obvious, we would not need to mention were it not that they have a still greater disadvantage, which is that we do not know what to do once they are over. Jose Saramago sublime perfect needs
