Over the course of history, literature has been humanity’s most enduring mirror, reflecting our values, struggles and aspirations.
Words have the power to enlighten, transform and connect us across time and place.
“Literature and Wisdom” is a tribute to the written word, featuring quotations that capture the essence of the human experience and provide guidance for navigating life’s complexities.
In this chapter, you will find reflections from poets, novelists and philosophers whose works have stood the test of time. These reflections remind us of the importance of storytelling, the beauty of language and the insights that only literature can offer.
Whether it is learning lessons from a classic novel or finding comfort in a simple verse, this section celebrates the power of literature to inspire us to think, feel, and grow.
As you read, may these words encourage you to embrace the richness of human thought and the infinite possibilities of wisdom.
“Illusion is the most stubborn weed of the collective consciousness: history teaches, but it has no pupils.” (Antonio Gramsci, a great Italian thinker and intellectual of the 20th century)
May I remind this poem for a pen-friend: Remember Me Remember me:To the living, I am gone. To the sorrowful, I will never return.To the angry, I was cheated,But to the happy, I am at peace,And to the faithful, I have never left. I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.So as you stand … Read more
The cyclical nature of the seasons, a forewarning of life’s twilight; the unstoppable passage of time and life’s seasons, with their fading memories, serving as a symbol of fate: Autumn. Autumn Autumn. We felt its comingin the wind of August,in the rains of Septembertorrential and weepingand a shiver ran through the earthwhich now, bare and … Read more
Many of you appreciated the short verse by Quasimodo, so today may I write about another poet from the same period, representing Italian Hermetism. Morning I’m illuminedwith immensity. Giuseppe Ungaretti (1917) These few words are known by every Italian student, as the entire poem is made up of just these words. How long does it … Read more
“Everyone stands alone at the heart of the earth,pierced by a ray of sun: and suddenly it’s evening.” These lines were written by the Sicilian poet Salvatore Quasimodo, born in Modica (Ragusa) in 1901. A Nobel Prize winner for Literature (1959), he was a leading figure of Hermeticism, the poetic movement that emerged in Italy … Read more
“Ognuno sta solo sul cuor della terra,trafitto da un raggio di sole:ed è subito sera.” Questi versi furono scritti dal poeta siciliano Salvatore Quasimodo, nato a Modica (Ragusa) nel 1901. Premio Nobel per la Letteratura nel 1959, Quasimodo fu una delle figure centrali dell’Ermetismo, il movimento poetico sviluppatosi in Italia tra le due guerre mondiali. … Read more
Antonio Gramsci was an intellectual persecuted by Fascism in Italy in the 1930s. He died as a prisoner in 1937 in a clinic in Rome. He is considered one of the most important Italian thinkers of the 20th century. His most morally important work is the ‘Notebooks from Prison’, which he wrote while imprisoned and … Read more
The Hagakure, a seminal Japanese philosophical text, offers a profound exploration of the samurai code, a set of principles that governed the lives of Japan’s warrior class. Written by Yamamoto Tsunemoto (1659-1719), a warrior-turned-monk, the Hagakure is a collection of anecdotes, advice, and stories that have shaped the character and skills of samurai for centuries. … Read more
“There is no remedy for birth and death, except to enjoy the interval.” (Arthur Schopenhauer)
Today, I’m compelled to reflect on the atrocities of war, a subject that has weighed heavily on my mind in recent days, particularly as I have been following the news. My thoughts have been drawn to a powerful poem written in 1946 by the Italian poet Salvatore Quasimodo, a Nobel laureate in Literature. Entitled “Alle … Read more
“Do not believe that he who seeks to comfort you lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. His life has much difficulty and sadness and remains far behind yours. Were it otherwise he would never have been able to find those words.” (Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young … Read more
“It is quite possible—overwhelmingly probable, one might guess—that we will always learn more about human life and personality from novels than from scientific psychology.” (Noam Chomsky) I wholeheartedly agree with Chomsky’s assertion. Novels possess an unparalleled ability to illuminate the complexities of the human psyche. This is precisely why I find science fiction even more … Read more
In a world of solitudes Endlessly intertwined, I choose the few, the rare. I choose quality, never quantity. I love to blend my solitude— Active and creative— With just a few others. I choose others When they surpass my solitude. I cherish being with the few, Who, for me, are many. (Unknown author)
Quote reinterpretated in Modern English:“The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity and arrogance they have.All these fools, however, find other fools who applaud them.” Original Latin text:“Quo quisque stultior, hoc pluris sibi videtur, et quemadmodum plurimis placet, ita plurimos probat.” Literal translation:“The more foolish a man is, the more he will think of … Read more
“Have you ever read Borges?” Montalbano asked him. “What is that, a book?” Mongiardino replied disgustedly. There are people like that, for whom the question of whether they have read a book is more offensive than the question of whether they were intimate friends with Jack the Ripper. (Andrea Camilleri, Italian writer, The First Investigation … Read more
“The tendency of people, whether they are rulers or simple citizens, to impose their own opinions and tendencies on others as norms of conduct is so strongly supported by some of the best and worst feelings inherent in human nature that it is almost always restrained only by a lack of power; and since the … Read more
“Reading only supplies the mind with material for knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read our own.” (John Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding) Locke teaches us that reading should be an active process, not a passive one. Only by reading in this way does it become a transformative experience that helps us grow … Read more
In any (social, popular, national) group this happens, and you are banned if you contravene: “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum. That gives people the sense that there is free thinking going on, while all … Read more
“The example corrects better than the rebuke.” (Alessandro Manzoni)
To anyone running their own company, I reccommend reading about military strategy, because it shares goals with management: leadership, command of men, results requested by external political forces. “If one has never personally experienced war, one cannot understand why a commander should need any brilliance and exceptional ability. Everything looks simple. Everything in war is … Read more