Giannis Quotes

Because I want you to know that your're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. And I thought I should introduce myself. I mean, we should get to know each other. Since you're the girl I intend to marry. ~Mark Gianni

Reality can be entered through the main door or it can be slipped into through a window, which is much more fun.

«Quanto pesa una lacrima?» «Secondo: la lacrima di un bambino capriccioso pesa meno del vento, quella di un bambino affamato pesa più di tutta la terra.»

... ако трябва да научим децата да мислят, трябва първо да ги научим да измислят.

Well, yeah, you listen to a talking snake and there's gonna be trouble.

Zeno Gianni De la Croix seemed like the kind of man who would burn down the world for you.

The richness of life is hidden until relationships are only based on love instead of ego

Кристалният Джакомо, макар и във вериги, бил по-силен от него, защото истината е по-силна от всяко нещо, по-светла от деня, по-страшна от ураган.

A world without problems is an illusion, so is a world without solutions.

Небето е на всички То е мое, когато го гледам, и на тоя до мен, и на тебе, на царя, на градинаря, на поета, на малкото бебе. Няма бедняк така беден, че да не го притежава. За лъва и за зайчето то е обща въздушна държава И никак не се изхабява, ако пръв го погледне съседа, не става по-малко красиво, за който последен го гледа. А щом е така - питат всички момиченца и момченца, - защо е небето цяло, а земята на малки парченца?

Ci hanno mescolato le anime e ormai abbiamo tutti gli stessi pensieri. Noi aspettiamo ma niente ci aspetta, né un’astronave né un destino. Se adesso cominciasse a piovere ti bagneresti, se questa notte farà freddo la tua gola ne soffrirà, se torni indietro a piedi nel buio dovrai farti coraggio, se continui a vagare sarai sempre più sfatto. Ogni fenomeno è in sé sereno. Chiama le cose perché restino con te fino all’ultimo.

In this city [Palermo] . . . it's the souls of the dead who bring presents to the children. . . . We go to the cemetery to ask the dead for toys.

-¿Qué espera de mi la gente? -Que tú no esperes nada de ella.

It hurt to see my son turning into a stranger, a loner on a highway to self-destruction

Mientras hacen proyectos para el futuro, cae de nuevo la noche. La noche es así, no hace más que caer; hay que compadecerla.

-¿Cómo se permite usted, más bien, sostener aún que existen niños malos? Póngase de rodillas y pida perdón.

Qualunque cosa che dico è una mia citazione... quindi posso scrivere quello che voglio!

Hatred is the mask of the inept.

By speaking with courtesy and respect, you are offering a wonderful gift to yourself, a useful embarrassment to the unkind, and a good example to bystanders.

Vorrei che tutti leggessero, non per diventare letterati o poeti, ma perché nessuno sia più schiavo.

Nel paese della bugia, la verità è una malattia.

Every thought, every word, every deed, every laugh, every cry, every pleasure, every lie. Everything is a part of our relentless attempt to cope with the fact of our very mortality.

Man uses action to keep away the wasps of thought and understanding. The man of relentless labour and business is the perfect escapist; escaping the world by diving too deep into the world.

Ето историята за един човечец, попаднал в града кой знае откъде. Трябвало да вземе, за да стигне до катедралата, най-напред трамвай номер три, а после номер едно. Въобразява си, че ще икономиса един билет, като вземе трамвай номер четири. Тази история би могла да помогне на децата да различават правилното събиране от невъзможното.

In my years as a priest and a scientist, I have been guided by two allied principles,” Gianni began. “One, that the universe was created for a purpose. And two, that the purpose for which it was created was guided by a loving Creator who desired that its purpose should be fulfilled.

Вярно, пощенските марки имат шарки много ярки, но лепилото по тях и до днеска не разбрах как го правят и защо винаги да има то вкус на тапа, вкус на ряпа! Няма ли един химик със чувствителен език да направи лепилата по-приятни за децата! И да имаме тогава една серия такава: хем със весели картинки, хем със вкус на боровинки!

All'uscita del paese si dividevano tre strade: una andava verso il mare, la seconda verso la città e la terza non andava in nessun posto. Martino lo sapeva perché l'aveva chiesto un po' a tutti e da tutti aveva avuto la stessa risposta: - Quella strada lì? Non va in nessun posto! E' inutile camminarci. - E fin dove arriva? - Non arriva da nessuna parte - Ma allora perché l'hanno fatta? - Ma non l'ha fatta nessuno, è sempre stata lì! - Ma nessuno è mai andato a vedere? - Oh sei una bella testa dura! Se ti diciamo che non c'è niente da vedere... - Non potete saperlo se non ci siete stati mai.

- La natura è sleale, nella sua innocenza.

Кто знает, почему люди с добрым сердцем всегда стараются скрыть это от других?

What is my personal history if not the heroic narrative created by myself in order to inform myself about who myself is, assisted by my tactically biased and fickle memory?

Certi tesori esistono soltanto per chi batte per primo una strada nuova.

Chissà perché quelli che hanno il cuore buono davvero si sforzano sempre di non farlo sapere agli altri.

Wisdom is not to know everything, but to know enough in order to stop taking yourself and the world too seriously. Wisdom could be the last and eternal Laughter!

Before you think you are surrounded by idiots, make sure that you don’t suffer from narcissism.

«Se gli compro una cometa il mio bambino chissà cosa combina.» E il mago: «Ma fatevi coraggio! I vostri bambini andranno sulle stelle, cominciate ad abituarli da piccoli.»

They who mock philosophy by calling it useless and a waste of time are usually the ones who are in the greatest need of it.

Mai lasciarsi spaventare dalla parola FINE.

Ma un po' alla volta le cose andarono meglio, perchè tutto si può imparare, se si vuole.

To find a meaning or to create a meaning; there is no crucial difference as long as it takes away the unpleasant odors of the mortal existence.

Ако хората се задоволяваха с онова, което имат, щяха още да живеят по дърветата, като маймуните.

The modern man adores individualism as long as he has freedom, health, safety and wealth, but when he loses one of them turns to the state and to others demanding compensation and support.

the worrying gap that seems to persist between the spontaneity of reason and the passivity of sensibility can be overcome if one no longer thinks of nature exclusively in the deterministic terms of modern scientism;

When I arrive to a new place, it is no longer the place it was before my arrival. And I am not the same person either. I change it and it changes me on the spot. And together we give the world a slightly different face.

- Предаде ме - крещял търговецът и стискал юмруци. - Не очаквай обич, щом сееш омраза. Аз те спасих от смъртта, а ти искаше да ме убиеш. Исках да ми бъдеш брат, но ти искаше да бъдеш само господар. Сега ще видиш какво значи да имаш господар като теб самия.

Старите поговорки се смълчават. След малко най-старата подема отново: - Който иска мир, да се готви за война! Санитарите я чуват и й дават отвара от лайка, за да се успокои, после внимателно й обясняват, че който иска мир трябва да подготви мир, а не бомби,

— What should we do to reduce pain and misery in our world? — We should perhaps try to sit on the shoulders of the giants, as Isaac Newton nicely put it, so that we can see far and wide, and by the betterment of our vision we may cause the betterment of this confused world.

You put it in wrong," said Ilaria in a provocative tone. I didn't pay attention to her, but Gianni checked and with a look of reproof showed me that I had put the side without the mercury under his armpit. Attention: attention alone could help me. I put it in correctly, Ilaria appeared satisfied, she said: I noticed it. I nodded yes, good, I made a mistake. Why—I thought—must I do a thousand things at once, for almost ten years you've been forcing me to live like this, and I'm not completely awake yet, I haven't had my coffee, I haven't made breakfast.

I am not proposing any return to reality—to foundations, to the solidity of an ontology that has its feet on the ground—against the risks of rampant irrationalism, as it seems to me is happening today in certain returns to phenomenology, now combined with the attention of the cognitive sciences,

Oggi come oggi il professor Guidoberto parla e scrive correntemente in duecentoquattordici lingue e dialetti della Terra, imparati, si sa, soltanto nei momenti di ozio. La sua barba è diventata grigia, e sotto il suo cappello non è rimasta che una ciocca striminzita. Ogni mattina egli corre al Museo e si immerge nel suo studio prediletto. Per lui il "cippo" è il cuore di Perugia, anzi, dell'Umbria, anzi, dell'Universo. Quando qualcuno ammira la sua cultura linguistica e si profonde in lodi al suo cospetto, Guidoberto fa un cenno seccato con la mano e risponde: - Non dica sciocchezze; sono ignorante quanto lei. Lo sa che in trent'anni non sono riuscito a imparare l'etrusco? Quello che non si sa ancora è sempre più importante di quello che si sa.

It is a token of a healthy spirit to freely lament your loss and hold dearly the pain and sorrow that come with it, being at the same time careful not to cling to the past, let alone mentally live in the past. The sorrow and the pain are the unerring proofs that what you have lived was strong and real, and that nothing was in vain!

She who believes that science will inescapably solve humanity’s oldest problems and radically change the human lot in this world is the one who desperately needs a substitute for religion or magic. The true lover of science is she who is aware of its shortcomings and limitations, yet still cherishes it for whatever gifts it offers us.

The mindset to have? When you focus on the past, that's your ego. 'I did [this] in the past. I won [that] in the past.' When I focus on the future, that's my pride. 'I'm going to dominate.' That's your pride talking. I try to focus on the moment. In the present. That's humility. That's being humble. That's a skill I'm trying to master.

La notte scendeva troppo in fretta: scivolò e cadde.

«Da tu primer paso con fe, no es necesario que veas toda la escalera completa, sólo da tu primer paso» — Martin Luther King

A good proverb is often the marriage of a Truth to an Enchantment, where Humor is the groomsman and Irony the priest.

The vines of our life might be amored with thorns, but I could see the delicate rose of love blooming.

I'm just a boy whose never been loved before, and I think you could love me the way I want to be.

He was my home. He was the warm hearth at which I wanted to rest every day.

The world, and we as a part thereof, are the carnival mask on the face of Nonbeing.

When modern man gets rid of an old, shameful illusion, he usually replaces it with a new one, subtler and more sophisticated, and therefore more potent.

We are all capable of foolishness, it's just that we have a different area of expertise.

When you stay silent, you listen. When you listen, you learn. When you learn, you know. When you know, you can understand. And when you understand, you may forgive.

Our punishment for feeling hatred is the feeling of hatred.

Coming face to face with Ugliness can be a misfortune or a blessing. We can imitate it and be one with it; or we can feel repugnance and appreciate the Beauty once and for all!

The day you’ll start craving for a savior to deliver you is the day you’ll welcome any tyrant into your soul. Freedom is the game of the unsaved and the unsavable.

«Puedes ser solamente una persona para el mundo, pero para una persona tú eres el mundo» — Gabriel García Márquez

Consciousness is like the trailer of a movie; short, fragmentary, confused and deceptive. And the title of the movie? “The Subconscious and the wider world beyond”.

No life is easy until one makes “easiness” a way of life.

No life is easy until one makes easiness a way of life.

Camminando la linea d'orizzonte ti dice sempre che tu sei disperso in un punto qualsiasi sulla linea della terra, come le cose che si vedono in distanza. Bisogna cercare un altro punto con cui fare asse, e immaginare che ci si arriverà una volta o l'altra. Bisogna sempre riuscire a immaginare quello che c'è là fuori, altrimenti non si potrebbe fare un solo passo.

The one who says, "I search only for the truth, and nothing but the truth" is a candidate for the tyrant's throne. The one who says, "I have found the truth" is already sitting on it.

There is goodness in every woman, in every man. Some have not learned to use it yet. A part of them never will. Unfortunately, they lack the ways or the means to display it to the world.

Becoming older does not necessarily mean that I become wiser, let alone wiser about everything. But I would be content to become a little wiser about the things that really matter in life. 

In a world of ceaseless labor, we are components of the Engine. Eternally struggling, pushing a Sisyphean Boulder in vain. Illusions are the keys that unlock the Doors and keep us moving on.

Knowledge is akin to the Lernaean Hydra's heads, multiplying as soon as one head is severed. The more knowledge you attain, the more you find yourself searching for answers to new questions.

The naive thinks that all wisdom lies within and no one can teach him. The wise became wise, because he accepted his nescience and opened his eyes to see the Wisdom and the Beauty around him.

—En la vida nos encontramos con muchas personas que nos quieren llevar por un camino que no es el que elegimos, está en nosotros tomar ese camino o mantenernos en el que estábamos transitando.

How do you understand that you have attained a healthy, inner peace and tranquillity? When nothing can make you angry or bring you bitter resentment, while your desire to get rid of the various evils is not at all diminished.

Science and Metaphysics show us part of what “is”. Logic and Epistemology help us interpret this part and understand how much of it we can really know. And finally, Ethics teaches us how to embrace this knowledge and how to cherry-pick only those things that will give us endurance and contentment in the long run, avoiding those that may keep our hearts buried in the ground; how to live well and decently and how to help the society function properly.

Il professor Grammaticus Il professor Grammaticus, tra Como e Battipaglia, udì gridare a gran voce: I-ta-glia! I-ta-glia! I-ta-glia! Alcuni sventatelli apparsi in fondo alla via in coro scandivano quell’errore di ortografia. Disse il bravo docente: – Signori, non così! Non lordate la Patria con quella brutta «g»! Al fardello dei mali che affliggono il paese non aggiungete, prego, ortografiche offese… Il professor Grammaticus fu tosto circondato, di ben altre scorrettezze e di pugni minacciato. Ma dai dintorni accorse una folla di persone amanti della grammatica e della buona educazione. Cacciarono i giovinastri e gridarono così: – Viva il nostro professore e l’Italia senza «g»!

Will, was not as taken with the photo of the new baby as the grown ups around him. “It look like Mr. Potato Head.” “I’m sure your baby sister will appreciate that,” Alessandro said with a wry grin. “A girl? It’s a girl?” Will asked with a grimace. “That’s right,” Bree announced as Vanessa and Brian congratulated them. “I can play wif Gianni but what we gonna do wif a girl?” he asked, handing the picture back to them. “Nope, send it back and get another boy dis time.

Failures are like alarm clocks. Alarm clocks wake us up from our dreams and remind us that we have to go to work. Failures wake us up from our dreams and remind us that we have to live as we really are; mortal and fallible living beings.

Don’t only ask who will inspire you, but also ask how you can become a positive inspiration for others. If all people, or at least most people, embraced this attitude, our world would be a much more interesting and much less gloomy place.

Good morning, Sunshine,” Alessandro whispered, dragging the satiny soft object across the tip of her nose. Curiosity made her open her eyes. A rose. A blue rose. “I figured a single rose was safer than a dozen considering the massacre of the last blue roses I gave you,” he smiled sheepishly. “Happy birthday, darling.” Bree blinked and tried to remember what day it was. The fifteenth apparently. She groaned and pulled the blankets back over her head. She was officially thirty today. “Come on now, up we go,” Alessandro pulled the blankets off her face and grabbed her arm, bringing her up. “For my birthday, I want sleep,” she groaned. Gianni had suffered through a painful night as another tooth was starting to come in and thus his parents had suffered as well. “Nope, we’ve got a long day ahead of us. Let’s go.” “Why?” Bree yawned. “Because thirty years ago you were born and my life as I knew it would never be the same,” Alessandro explained, nuzzling her neck.

On a cosmic scale, it seems that the life of a single plant or animal is completely insignificant. Then, on the same scale, I also am insignificant; and you, too. In fact, everyone and everything is insignificant, and therefore no one and nothing is insignificant.

Human life lasts less than a moment in the temporal scale of eternity. An eternity that lies ahead of us, allowing us to “enjoy” the tranquility of our non-existence. Why not endure this tiny moment and make the most of something that will probably never happen again?

000000003 - Услуга титли. Някои хора живеят в постоянна неудовлетвореност, защото нямат титла или почетно звание, едно елементарно "инж.", което да добавят пред името си във визитната картичка. Идеята ми е телефонната услуга 000000003 да направи щастливи тези хора. Ако се почувстват особено депресирани и натъжени, да вземат телефонната слушалка и глас, изпълнен с уважение, с благоговение и почтителност да ги поздрави горе-долу така: "Добър вечер, кавалер на ордена на кончетата-люлки, вели офицер на печените круши..." и така нататък.

A book that has been written has very little value. What matters the most is the book that has been read, sometimes many years or centuries after its creation. It’ s like a diamond; resting deeply in the mud, it will never shine until someone picks it up and makes it clean.

A stone thrown into a pond sets in motion concentric waves that spread out on the surface of the water, and their reverberation has an effect on the water lilies and reeds, the paper boat, and the buoys of the fishermen at various distances. All these objects are just there for themselves, enjoying their tranquility, when they are wakened to life, as it were, and are compelled to react and to enter into contact with one another. Other invisible vibrations spread into the depths, in all directions, as the stone falls and brushes the algae, scaring the fish and continually causing new molecular movements. When it then touches the bottom, it stirs up the mud and bumps into things that have rested there forgotten, some of which are dislodged, others buried once again in the sand.

job (noun): the work that we do to secure the means of survival and – in some cases – a spring of satisfaction and delight; more often, a useful tool that we have in our possession in order to distract ourselves from potential alarming thoughts and to release us from the boredom of inactivity. Furthermore, a source that finances our leisure time so that this can effectively continue the important task of distraction.

I can not learn Philosophy and I can not take a glimpse of Wisdom all alone and by myself. All together we philosophize, because this is the best way to do it; nay, this is the only way to do it. Of course, other thinkers cannot teach me what I already know, but they can help me unlearn what I thought I knew or see what I haven’t seen clearly yet. As a solitary thinker, I would be a mere listener of the echo of my convictions.

The wise man can never be offended. If the comment mirrors a truth, or an aspect thereof, there can be no offense whatsoever. To the contrary, such thing will be welcomed with delight! And even if a discourteous person attacks the wise man with lies and profane language, either because of malice or because of ignorance, there is absolutely no reason for the wise man to be disturbed. Understanding and compassion for this unfortunate fellowman will be his most probable response.

Homo defessus — Never before in human history have so many people considered their everyday tiredness (because they are so busy and have so much to do) as a badge of honor. We are living in the era of Homo defessus, the exhausted man. I wonder if historians of the distant future (if there will be any) will look back at our epoch and decide to give it a name: “The Second Dark Ages,” because for the first time, humans not only deliberately sought exhaustion, but were also convinced that this mentality was their pride, an indisputable token of greatness.

Of course, 1+1 makes 2 and blue to yellow gives green. But if we forget for a while the abstract knowledge or the laws of nature, and focus on the “knowledge” of particular situations, events, persons etc., then we can observe that it is almost never: “I know”; it is practically always: “I believe”. Humans and all the intelligent creatures of this world operate through beliefs, more or less justified, more or less true, more or less convincing. Because the biological apparatus of one hundred percent accuracy has not yet been “invented” in nature. And it never will.

Everywhere you turn you see signs of its place at the top of the Italian food chain: fresh-pasta shops vending every possible iteration of egg and flour; buzzing bars pairing Spritz and Lambrusco with generous spreads of free meat, cheese, and vegetable snacks; and, above all, osteria after osteria, cozy wine-soaked eating establishments from whose ancient kitchens emanates a moist fragrance of simmered pork and local grapes. Osteria al 15 is a beloved dinner den just inside the centro storico known for its crispy flatbreads puffed up in hot lard, and its classic beef-heavy ragù tossed with corkscrew pasta or spooned on top of béchamel and layered between sheets of lasagne. It's far from refined, but the bargain prices and the boisterous staff make it all go down easily. Trattoria Gianni, down a hairpin alleyway a few blocks from Piazza Maggiore, was once my lunch haunt in Bologna, by virtue of its position next to my Italian-language school. I dream regularly of its bollito misto, a heroic mix of braised brisket, capon, and tongue served with salsa verde, but the dish I'm looking for this time, a thick beef-and-pork joint with plenty of jammy tomato, is a solid middle-of-the-road ragù.

Yeah, well, he’s having a hard time dealing, you know?” Bree asked uneasily. “That’s understandable. How are you coping?” he asked, reaching out and touching her arm. Gianni shifted in her arms and looked down at Colin’s hand. “It’s taking some getting used to. Let’s just say it’s a bit of a relief to take a break for a little while. I’m more worried about the kids though and this is affecting them so I’m hoping to get in to see Dr. Graham. She was a big help to Will a while back.” “Oh, yeah. I hear great things about her. You know she doesn’t just work with kids, right?” Bree narrowed her eyes but smiled in amusement. “Is that a hint?” “Not a very subtle one, I know. Hey Gianni, how you doing, huh? Wow, you’re sure getting big,” Colin remarked. “He sure is. He’s almost standing all by himself now, aren’t you, Gianni? You wanna show Colin?” Bree asked. “Nooo,” Gianni insisted, burying his face in Bree’s neck. “Oh, speaking of Mr. Cranky Pants, huh? He didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” Gianni lifted his head and then looked down, and it was then that Bree noticed Colin still had his hand on her arm. “Dat,” Gianni said. Bree cleared her throat and took a step back, not wanting to make the movement seem like she was uncomfortable with Colin touching her.

The majority of philosophies and of various spiritual movements teach that the highest achievement is to know thyself. Of course, there is nothing bad about the attempt to know ourselves better; a noble endeavor… But, if this is the prevailing dogma, then I must admit that I am a dissident. After all, you’ll never find your true self no matter how hard you try, no matter how close you’ll come to that. For me, the greatest of achievements is to be a good human, a gentle soul. And it is not as easy as it seems. Goodness, joyfulness, compassion are what we need in this world; no more unworkable knowledge without wisdom, no more holy grails!

Hello, darling,” Alessandro smiled at her. Oh, that smile. Bree wanted to close her eyes, press her hands against her eyes and keep them shut forever so she wouldn’t see that smile. She must have had the question on her face, the knowledge on her face because as she looked at him now, something flickered in his eyes. Guilt. Oh God. “Mommy, look. I make good bouncies. See?” Will said, dribbling the ball. “I gonna be a basset ball player when I gwoed up.” The little boy’s voice sounded far away as Bree narrowed in on Alessandro and the look in his eyes. “Brian. I want you and Vanessa to take Will and Gianni out for a little while.” “Oh but we’re having a good time out here, aren’t we Gianni?” Alessandro asked, tickling Gianni who squealed and curled inward. “Now,” Bree said, her voice tight. Will stopped bouncing the ball and held it against his chest looking at both of them, picking up on the angry tension that suddenly covered them all. “Uh oh. I tink mommy’s mad.” “I’m not leaving you alone in your condition, Bree. Alessandro, we just came from the hospital. Colin’s awake,” Brian informed him, his voice tight with anger. “You spoke to Colin?” Alessandro asked, meeting Bree’s eyes. “I did. And Carrie.” He looks like a cornered animal. And what do Dardanos do when they’re cornered? They lie. They cheat. Oh God. “Fine, then can you just take the boys upstairs?” Bree said, speaking to Brian, but not moving her gaze from her husband. “Come on, guys. Let’s go play upstairs for a while,” Vanessa said walking past Bree and taking Gianni from Alessandro’s lap.

There is a popular view that something has to lead to a specific distant goal in order to have value. So we build goals like walls that confine us and condemn every other result or destination in life to be a failure. But by freeing yourself from the burden of reaching a predetermined point/status, you are no longer a prisoner to yourself. And you start enjoying things for what they are, not for what they could be or lead to. You relish the company of your family, your friends or your books; you do things without aiming at something else beyond. You love the Present, for these present moments are yours and no one can take them from you, regardless of what the future shall bring. You just walk where the soul is really longing for, and then you say that this was your destination. Because this w-a-s your destination.

The equivalent of humans searching for their “real selves” is small cats chasing their tails. For it seems to me that there is no “real self”. We humans are ever-shifting, dynamic entities and not unchangeable, rigid selves. And even if there were a kind of centrum within us that we could call an “inner self”, we would never reach down to it, because of our natural biases about what we are and what our place in the world is. When we look in the mirror, we don’t see what we are, but we see what we want to be. Yet, as elusive as the search for self is, so clear is what we have to do on earth: to love and take care of each other. Life is too short and too miraculous to waste it on something other than love and joy!The equivalent of humans searching for their “real selves” is small cats chasing their tails. For I believe that there is no “real self”. We humans are ever-shifting, dynamic entities and not unchangeable, rigid selves. And even if there were a kind of centrum within us that we could call an “inner self”, we would never reach down to it, because of our natural biases about what we are and what our place in the world is. When we look in the mirror, we don’t see what we are, but we see what we want to be. Yet, as elusive as the search for self is, so clear is what we have to do on earth: to love and take care of each other. Life is too short and too miraculous to waste it on something other than love and joy!