"We've been disguising with slight fear a far greater fear and for this reason we never talk about what really matters. Talking about what really matters is considered a blunder. We haven't had faith because we've been sensible and petty enough to remember false gods in time. We haven't been pure and innocent so as not to laugh at ourselves and so at the end of the day we can say, 'At least I don't act like a fool' and so as not to feel bewildered before we turn out the light. We've been smiling in public at things that we wouldn't smile about if we were alone. We've been calling our candor weakness. Above all we've been afraid of one another. And we consider all this our daily victory."
Clarice Lispector, An Apprenticeship
Clarice Lispector, An Apprenticeship
