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Umberto Eco Quotes

Biography

Umberto Eco (1932-2016), an Italian novelist, essayist, and philosopher, is best known for his novel "The Name of the Rose" (1980), a historical mystery combining semiotics and biblical analysis. Eco held the Chair of Semiotics at the University of Bologna from 1975 until his retirement. more Umberto Eco (1932-2016), an Italian novelist, essayist, and philosopher, is best known for his novel "The Name of the Rose" (1980), a historical mystery combining semiotics and biblical analysis. Eco held the Chair of Semiotics at the University of Bologna from 1975 until his retirement. His work in semiotics, particularly "A Theory of Semiotics" (1975), established foundational principles in the field. Eco also authored "Foucault's Pendulum" (1988), a complex narrative intertwining conspiracy theories and intellectual history. Awarded the Strega Prize in 1981 for "The Name of the Rose," Eco's literary and academic contributions have left an indelible mark on both contemporary literature and semiotic studies. less

Popular Quotes

"Translation is the art of failure"
Tags: Communication, Art, Failure, Challenges, Language
"The function of the scholar is to destroy myths"
Tags: Knowledge, Education, Critical thinking, Skepticism, Intellectual
"Sometimes you say things with a smiley face when you're really saying them with a frowny face"
Tags: Authenticity, Truth, Communication, Expression, Emotions
"A book is a fragile creature, it suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements, clumsy hands"
Tags: Time, Vulnerability, Books, Care, Fragility
"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth"
Tags: Philosophy, Perception, Human nature, Understanding, Truth
"Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry"
Tags: Learning, Knowledge, Education, Literature, Belief
"The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else"
Tags: Human nature, Identity, Dreams, Honesty, Self-perception
"Libraries have always seemed to me like the richest places in the world"
Tags: Inspiration, Wisdom, Learning, Knowledge, Education
"To survive, you must tell stories"
Tags: Wisdom, Resilience, Identity, Communication, History
"We live for books"
Tags: Literature, Storytelling, Reading, Books, Fiction
"The name of the rose is a mere symptom of our nostalgia for a time when names meant something."
Tags: Philosophy, Identity, Literature, Meaning, Nostalgia
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