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Giacomo Leopardi, Count (June 29, 1798; June 14, 1837) 

Italian poet and scholar. Devoted to the study of the classics and philosophy from early childhood, although plagued by illness and physical and spiritual frustration, Leopardi became one of the most formidable linguists, thinkers, and writers of his time. His pessimistic view of the world became increasingly uncompromising. His Canti [songs] (1816—37) represent the flowering of his poetry, which rests on a tension between past and present, innocence and rational consciousness. He spoke with romantic yearning for physical and spiritual oneness, even as he pointed to the unbridgeable gulf that separated people from one another and from salvation. Leopardi was a liberal and agnostic at a time when independence of thought was dangerous in Italy. Many of his works were deeply patriotic and contemptuous of the Italian rulers of his day. He wrote political and social satire in the ironic dialogues entitled Operette morali (1826—27, tr. Essays, Dialogues, and Thoughts, 1893 and 1905). A complete edition of his works was issued in 1845 by his friend Antonio Ranieri. Leopardi is considered Italy's outstanding 19th-century poet.


a ignorância é a maior fonte de felicidade
a única maneira de evitar que os outros conheçam os nossos própios limites consiste em não superá-los
aquele que sabe rir é dono do mundo
as crianças encontram tudo em nada, os homens não encontram nada em tudo
as ilusões persistem apesar da razão e do conhecimento
as pessoas só são ridículas quando querem parecer ou ser aquilo que não são
o prazer mais concreto desta vida é o vão prazer das ilusões
pena que beber água não seja pecado - seria deliciosa!
sem memória, o homem não saberia nada nem seria capaz de fazer nada
um vocabulário apenas pode conter uma pequena parte do património de uma língua