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Fernando Pessoa Quotes

Biography

Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, and literary critic, most celebrated for his heteronyms, which are distinct authorial identities he created, each with unique biographies, writing styles, and perspectives. His major work, "Mensagem" (1934), is a collection of poems that intricately weave Portuguese history and myth. more Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, and literary critic, most celebrated for his heteronyms, which are distinct authorial identities he created, each with unique biographies, writing styles, and perspectives. His major work, "Mensagem" (1934), is a collection of poems that intricately weave Portuguese history and myth. Pessoa's heteronym Ricardo Reis, an ode to classical sensibilities, and Álvaro de Campos, characterized by a more modernist approach, stand out among his creations. Born in Lisbon, Pessoa spent much of his early life in Durban, South Africa, before returning to Portugal in 1905. He published numerous works in literary magazines, significantly shaping 20th-century Portuguese literature. less

Popular Quotes

"Could it think, the heart would stop beating. "
Tags: Philosophy, Life, Introspection, Existence, Emotion
"Atop the highest mountains of truth, we are all snow blind. "
Tags: Philosophy, Wisdom, Perspective, Perception, Truth
"After looking into such issues, look at a flower. "
Tags: Mindfulness, Perspective, Reflection, Nature, Awareness
"Life is an experimental journey undertaken involuntarily. It is a journey of the spirit through the material world and since this spirit knows itself only through the senses it is to these that it turns whenever it has to test its own self-knowledge."
Tags: Self-discovery, Perception, Existence, Human experience, Life journey
"We never love anyone. We love only our idea of what someone is like. We love an idea of our own; in short, it is ourselves that we love."
Tags: Philosophy, Love, Relationships, Perception, Human nature
"My past is everything I failed to be."
Tags: Self-improvement, Self-awareness, Growth, Personal development, Identity
"I have a terrible need of — shall I say the word — religion. Then I go out and look at the stars."
Tags: Spirituality, Reflection, Faith, Nature, Existentialism
"The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd: the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible, nostalgia for what never was, the desire for what could have been, regret over not being someone else, dissatisfaction with the world's existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are."
Tags: Nostalgia, Regret, Emotional pain, Longing, Dissatisfaction
"Everything is worthwhile if the soul is not small."
Tags: Motivation, Inspiration, Philosophy, Self-improvement, Mindfulness
"To read is to dream with open eyes."
Tags: Inspiration, Creativity, Literature, Imagination, Reading
"To know nothing about yourself is to live. To know yourself badly is to think."
Tags: Philosophy, Wisdom, Self-awareness, Mindfulness, Self-discovery
"The whole world changes, but not you."
Tags: Resilience, Human nature, Change, Identity, Consistency
"Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life."
Tags: Philosophy, Life, Literature, Self-reflection, Insight
"Wise is he who enjoys the show offered by the world."
Tags: Philosophy, Wisdom, Life, Perspective, Happiness
"I have no ambitions nor desires. To be poet is not my ambition, it's my way of being alone."
Tags: Creativity, Inner peace, Ambition, Self-expression, Poetry
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