Cesare Pavese
Cesare Pavese
Cesare Pavesewas an Italian poet, novelist, literary critic and translator. He is widely considered among the major authors of the 20th century in his home country...
NationalityItalian
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth9 September 1908
CountryItaly
fun might our-words
We must never say, even in fun, that we are disheartened, because someone might take us at our word.
work men quality
A man succeeds in completing a work only when his qualities transcend that work.
dream work father
Work alone isn't enough for me and mine; we know how to break our backs, but the great dream Of my fathers was to be good at doing nothing.
reality action prison
Reality is a prison, where one vegetates and always will. All the rest - thought, action - is just a pastime, mental or physical. What counts then, is to come to grips with reality. The rest can go.
life alive misery
There is only one pleasure-that of being alive. All the rest is misery.
strong men giving
Woman gives herself as a prize to the weak and as a prop to the strong and no man ever has what he should.
mean fighting air
Suffering is by no means a privilege, a sign of nobility, a reminder of God. Suffering is a fierce, bestial thing, commonplace, uncalled for, natural as air. It is intangible; no one can grasp it or fight against it; it dwells in time - is the same thing as time; if it comes in fits and starts, that is only so as to leave the sufferer more defenseless during the moments that follow, those long moments when one relives the last bout of torture and waits for the next.
suicide choices suffering
To choose a hardship for ourselves is our only defense against that hardship. This is what is meant by accepting suffering. Those who, by their very nature, can suffer completely, utterly, have an advantage. That is how we can disarm the power of suffering, make it our own creation, our own choice; submit to it. A justification for suicide.
patience waiting occupation
Waiting is still an occupation. It is having nothing to wait for that is terrible.
suicide children suicidal
At great periods you have always felt, deep within you, the temptation to commit suicide. You gave yourself to it, breached your own defenses. You were a child. The idea of suicide was a protest against life; by dying, you would escape this longing for death.
secret literature flow
Literature is a defense against the attacks of life. It says to life: You can't deceive me. I know your habits, foresee and enjoy watching all your reactions, and steal your secret by involving you in cunning obstructions that halt your normal flow.
acceptance personality interest
The search for a new personality is futile; what is fruitful is the interest the old personality can take in new activities.
blood understanding world
I thought of how many places there are in the world that belong in this way to someone, who has it in his blood beyond anyone else's understanding.
life young
You've got to understand life, understand it when you're young.