Ennio Flaiano (1910-1972) was an Italian writer and journalist, who is famous for having written, together with filmmaker Fellini, the script to many of the director's best known movies. Unfortunately, he is not well-known abroad, and I've never seen a collection of his aphorisms or quotes in English. Here are just a few I translated myself:
"In Italy, the shortest line between two points is an arabesque." Ennio Flaiano
"Stupidity fascinates me, but I prefer my own." Ennio Flaiano
"A book dreams. It is the only inanimate object that can do so." Ennio Flaiano
"A dreamer is someone whose feet are firmly grounded into clouds." Ennio Flaiano
"In thirty years' time, Italy will not have been shaped by government, but by TV." Ennio Flaiano
"We only have five or six unforgettable days in our lives, the others just take up space." Ennio Flaiano
"Today, the cretin is full of ideas." Ennio Flaiano
Flaiano is not politically correct, but there is an honesty to his words that is refreshing and often even prophetic.
And when I read him, I can't help but smile at his educated insolence.
Alberico Collina
"In Italy, the shortest line between two points is an arabesque." Ennio Flaiano
"Stupidity fascinates me, but I prefer my own." Ennio Flaiano
"A book dreams. It is the only inanimate object that can do so." Ennio Flaiano
"A dreamer is someone whose feet are firmly grounded into clouds." Ennio Flaiano
"In thirty years' time, Italy will not have been shaped by government, but by TV." Ennio Flaiano
"We only have five or six unforgettable days in our lives, the others just take up space." Ennio Flaiano
"Today, the cretin is full of ideas." Ennio Flaiano
Flaiano is not politically correct, but there is an honesty to his words that is refreshing and often even prophetic.
And when I read him, I can't help but smile at his educated insolence.
Alberico Collina
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