Hoje em dia já ninguém lá vai, aquilo está cheio de gente

Artigos etiquetados “letters of note”

At First

Publicado em 20/12/2023

[A few days after meeting Woolf for the first time]

I simply adore Virginia Woolf… She is utterly unaffected: there is no outward adornments—she dresses quite atrociously. At first you think she is plain; then a sort of spiritual beauty imposes itself on you, and you find a fascination in watching her. She was smarter last night; that is to say, the woollen orange stockings were replaced by yellow silk ones, but she still wore the pumps. She is both detached and human, silent till she wants to say something, and then says it supremely well. She is quite old. I’ve rarely taken such a fancy to anyone, and I think she likes me. At least, she’s asked me to Richmond where she lives. Darling, I have quite lost my heart.

—Vita Sackville-West, carta para Harold Nicolson em 19 de Dezembro de 1922, Vita and Harold: The Letters of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson 1919–1962 (via Letter of Note)

Outras Coisas

 , , ,

Boris

Publicado em 19/03/2022

Boris really has adopted a disgracefully cavalier attitude to his classical studies. It is a question of priorities, which most of his colleagues have no difficulty in sorting out. Boris sometimes seems affronted when criticised for what amounts to a gross failure of responsability (and surprised at the same time that he has not appointed Captain of the School for next half). I think he honestly believes that it is churlish of us not to regard him as an exception, one who should be free of the network of obligation which binds everyone else.

—Martin Hammond, Master in College, Eton, carta para Stanley Johnson, 10 de Abril de 1982

Outras Coisas

 , ,

Useless to the World

Publicado em 16/01/2022

You are not an evil human; you are not without intellect and education; you have everything that could make you a credit to human society. Moreover, I am acquainted with your heart and know that few are better, but you are nevertheless irritating and unbearable, and I consider it most difficult to live with you.
All of your good qualities become obscured by your super-cleverness and are made useless to the world merely because of your rage at wanting to know everything better than others; of wanting to improve and master what you cannot command. With this you embitter the people around you, since no one want to be improved or enlightened in such a forceful way, least of all by such an insignificant individual as you still are; no one can tolerate being reproved by you, who also still show so many weaknesses yourself, least of all in your adverse manner, which in oracular tones, proclaims this is so and so, without ever supposing an objection.
If you were less like you, you would only be ridiculous, but thus as you are, you are highly annoying.

—Johanna Schopenhauer, carta para o filho, o filósofo Arthur Schopenhauer, 6 de Novembro de 1807

Outras Coisas

 , , ,