When I pronounce the word Future, the first syllable already belongs to the past. When I pronounce the word Silence, I destroy it.
WISLAWA SZYMBORSKAOut of every hundred people, those who always know better: fifty-two.
More Wislawa Szymborska Quotes
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This terrifying world is not devoid of charms, of the mornings that make waking up worthwhile.
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Sometimes I write quickly, sometimes I spend several weeks on a single poem. I would really love for readers not to be able to guess which of the poems took so much work!
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I’m fighting against the bad poet who is prone to using too many words.
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Is a decision made in advance really any kind of choice?
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Life lasts but a few scratches of the claw in the sand.
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I’m old-fashioned and think that reading books is the most glorious pastime that humankind has yet devised.
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I’d have to be really quick to describe clouds – a split second’s enough for them to start being something else.
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Let the people who never find true love keep saying that there’s no such thing. Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.
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Even boredom should be described with gusto. How many things are happening on a day when nothing happens?
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All imperfection is easier to tolerate if served up in small doses.
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Generally speaking, life is so rich and full of variety; you have to remember all the time that there is a comical side to everything.
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There’s simply too much fuss about myself.
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I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems.
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No one feels good at four in the morning. If ants feel good at four in the morning —three cheers for the ants.
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Even the worst book can give us something to think about.
WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA