Tears throw a veil over our faults and allow us to accuse fate without fear or contradiction.
Italo SvevoRead
Who knows whether, if I had given up smoking, I should really have become the strong perfect man I imagined? Perhaps it was this very doubt that bound me to my vice, because life is so much pleasanter if one is able to believe in one's own latent greatness
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the relationship between personal vices and self-perception of greatness.
Italo Svevo explores the idea that one’s doubts and flaws might be essential to their identity and strength. The speaker ponders whether giving up smoking would have prevented the development of their character, suggesting that sometimes our struggles and vices contribute to our sense of who we are and how we perceive our potential for greatness.
Themes
StrengthVicesSelf-PerceptionGreatnessDoubt
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming challenges and self-doubt.
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Everyone remembers his past with greater vividness as the present becomes more important. Dying men in their last delirium are supposed to see their whole life spread out before them.
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