Luciano Duarte | Literature and philosophy

Contradict Oneself Voluntarily

The great artist must contradict himself. Because contradiction — abominable word when applied to art… — means that the artist gave way to opposite manifestations of his personality. If he not allow himself to be ambiguous, if he does not recognize in himself duality, if he is not able to raise to the summit opposing feelings that will necessarily manifest itself at his core, then he is a minor artist, amputated, or devoid of soul amplitude or simply powerless, limping of expression.

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The Intellectual Life, by A. D. Sertillanges

The Intellectual Life, by Antonin-Dalmace Sertillanges is, above all, a practical book: a manual intended for all those who seek to structure a life that exceeds everyday banality. I say for my part: when, by my twenties, I came across this work, I found precisely what I needed: the motivation and the means to architect a plan of long-term studies, recognizing the importance of habits, the selection of readings, the solitude, in short: the organization of life to intellectual progress. And I remember the pleasure in breathing those beautiful pages of Sertillanges, gifted with contagious serenity, justifying, elevating and ennonoking intellectual work. No doubt it’s book to close inspired, grateful and motivated.

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Pursuit of Happiness

Happiness can only be the purpose of life in futile natures. First, because of its impossibility; second, for its smallness.What harm does it do to accept life in full? It is a vigorous attitude to greet the bad times, and more: to value them as formers of meaning.

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Human Corruption

According to Pascal, man is corrupted to such an extent that even knowledge is not immune from forgery. If we take such a statement seriously, it will be necessary that we adopt a humble stance towards everything: we will have to doubt each of our words and be extremely cautious about anything that appears to us as “conviction”. We will treat ourselves with a certain contempt, and self-esteem will be an impossible word. We will be likely to avoid contact and our independence, if it manifests itself, will do so in a measured manner. In short, we will be exactly the opposite of the men of this century.

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