Seven Revealing Quotes From Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa is one of the greatest poets of all time. He was born in Portugal and lived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. To some, he is one of the most enigmatic figures in literature. Others find him a sorcerer who delved into the depths of the human soul, leaving behind some verses full of intelligence and wisdom.
One of the most mysterious aspects of Pessoa was his compulsive use of heteronyms. These were imaginary characters who played the role of authors of his work. These are some of the best known: Alberto Caeiro, Alvara de Campos, Bernardo Soares and Ricardo Reis. He himself published reviews of these hypothetical authors, who were none other than himself.
Most interestingly, these heteronyms weren’t just pseudonyms. Because each heteronym had its own personality, character and style. Those who have studied his work sometimes even wonder whether Fernando Pessoa was actually his true identity. But in any case, he left us an exceptional work. Now we highlight seven of his most memorable quotes. We invite you to pause and reflect on these statements.
The unconscious – a recurring theme with Fernando Pessoa
The content of Fernando Pessoa’s work is very philosophical. His reflections are sharp insights into the logic of our existence. For example, in the following quote he shows the contradiction of thinking and not thinking at the same time. “To be aware of the unconscious of life is the most ancient duty of human intelligence.”
This is a remarkable quote because it reveals an interesting contradiction. For it is through intelligence and consciousness that we discover the existence of the unconscious. The unconscious is unreachable as it is unconscious. So it does not have full access to reason. And in this way we only get to know what we have previously overlooked.
Fernando Pessoa on how we should perceive the world around us
A look determines identity. But at the same time, identity determines the look. So both realities are always together. That is expressed in one of his most beautiful sentences. “My size depends on what I look at, not on my own physical size.”
This means that the wider the perspective, the bigger the person looking. The opposite is also true – those with limited vision are overwhelmed by loneliness. In a figurative sense, height determines our way of seeing reality.
Know yourself and think
Pessoa always fought his thoughts. This struggle can set us free, but it can also keep us captive. It gives us the joy of understanding, but at the same time it takes away the freshness of life. The poet acknowledges this fact in the following quote. “Not knowing about yourself is living. Thinking about our bad sides is thinking.”
What he’s trying to tell us is that the most sincere things in life are just lived. This is true abundance. On the other hand, mere thinking all the time is a limited exercise. It only leads to partial results and robs us of the opportunity to fully experience our existence. Life is stronger than thought.
What exactly is love?
Pessoa describes love as creating thoughts with our imagination. We see this in the following quote. “We never love anyone: we just love the idea of having someone. The only thing we love is our own idea of love, we love only ourselves.”
Ultimately, he thinks love is a selfish projection. In the other person we see what we want to see or need. We never see what he really looks like. We never really get to know others. All we do is make love a concept. And we fall in love with that concept.
An exception for which there is no standard
For Pessoa, each individual is an unlimited reality. He claims that we cannot make generalizations that apply to every person. That is why he wrote the following words. “There are no rules. All people are exceptions to a rule that does not exist.”
The denial of a common norm for human beings is a glorification of individual particularity. Although it may seem that we have common traits and characteristics, each person is a different and unique world. This means that it is impossible to formulate a rule that applies to everyone.
Success and its secrets
For this famous Portuguese poet, success is something we have to build. “Success is being successful, not having the conditions for success. Every large piece of land has the conditions to build a palace, but where will the palace be if they don’t build it there?”
With this beautiful sentence, Fernando Pessoa softens the idea that talent is your potential. It is not the virtues or competences you have to display that determine your talent. But it is rather what you do that determines your competences and what really counts.
Death, an eternal theme
Speaking of death, Pessoa said, “When I see a dead person, it seems to me like a journey. The body gives me the impression of an abandoned costume. Someone has traveled and no longer had to wear that unique piece of clothing that he had worn.” In this beautiful sentence he talks about the body as just a facade of who we really are. In death someone’s presence has left us. The dead body no longer represents that person. The person who dies just isn’t there anymore.
Fernando Pessoa is one of those poets that you will never forget after reading his work. His poetry combines exceptional sensitivity with admirable clarity. In his verses and in the lines he has written, we find wonderful revelations that can really shake our beliefs.
