“In Sicily, when we do something, we do it grandly — or not at all.
That is why we often do nothing.”
(Pino Caruso)
This remark is both self-irony and deep truth: in Sicily (and not only there), there exists a natural aversion to mediocrity.
Doing things “halfway” is almost an insult to one’s own pride.
The paradox is that this drive toward greatness often becomes a trap.
The “all-or-nothing” mindset leads to postponement — waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect means, the perfect conditions — which rarely ever come.
Thus, what begins as a desire for excellence risks turning into immobility.
Yet in that immobility lies a peculiar dignity: the dignity of those who would rather not begin than do something poorly.
A mixture of pride, aesthetics, and fatalism.
The result is a slowness that is not laziness, but contemplation — the time to observe, reflect, and discuss, before acting with strength and style when the right moment arrives.
It is not that Sicilians do nothing; but when they finally decide to act, they leave their mark.