Quotes from How I Became Stupid

“My personality is a luxury that's costing me too dearly.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“When we try to understand something, more often than not, we kill it, and now I can feel the dangers of this encroaching on me: cynicism, bitterness, and infinite sadness...It's impossible to live if you're too aware, too thoughtful. Take nature for example: everything that lives happily and too a ripe old age is not very intelligent. Tortoises live for centuries, water's immortal, and Milton Friedman's still alive.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“- De ce nu mai ai prieteni?
- Au mucegăit. Nu remarcasem că au o dată de expirare. Trebuie să fii atent la asta. Prietenii mei au început să aibă urme de putregai, pete verzi destul de scîrboase. Ceea ce spuneau începea cu-adevărat să miroasă rău...”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“— De ce să nu avem dreptul să criticăm, să-i
considerăm pe unii tîmpiţi şi săraci cu duhul, sub pretext
că am părea acri şi geloşi? T oată lumea se comportă ca şi
cum am fi cu toţii egali, ca şi cum am fi cu toţii bogaţi,
educaţi, puternici, albi, tineri, masculi, fericiţi, sănătoşi, cu
o maşină mare... Dar asta nu e adevărat. Aşadar, am
dreptul să fac scandal, să fiu prost dispusă, să nu zîmbesc
fericită tot timpul, să-mi dau părerea cînd văd lucruri
anormale şi nedrepte, şi chiar să insult oamenii. E dreptul
meu să protestez.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Silence gradually spread its great, fragile butterfly wings across the ward. The sun had disappeared, replaced by grey and rain. This particular month of July was reading the script for March.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“-لماذا لا يحق لنا أن ننتقد ونعتبر الناس مغفلين ومعتوهين؟ بذريعة أننا سنبدو غائظين وغيورين؟ يتصرف الجميع على أننا متساوون، على أننا أثرياءـ مثقفون، أقوياء، بيض، صفر، وسيمون، ذكور، سعداء، بصحة جيدة، لدينا سيارة ضخمة.. ولكن هذا ليس صحيحًا. وبالتالي، لدي الحق في أن أحتج وأن أكون على مزاج سيء، وألا أبتسم بسذاجة طيلة الوقت، وأدلي برأيي حينما أرى أمورًا غير طبيعية ومجحفة، وحتى شتم بعض الناس. هذا حقي في الإعتراض.
- أوافقك الرأي، ولكن… هذا متعب. ربما علينا أن نفعل شيئًا أفضل من هذا، أليس كذلك؟
- أنت محق. من الغباء أن نهدر طاقتنا في أمور لا تستحق عناء ذلك. من الأفضل أن نوفر قوانا للتسلية.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Inteligenţa te face nefericit, singuratic, sărac, pe cînd
deghizarea inteligenţei îţi conferă o imortalitate de hîrtie
de ziar şi admiraţia celor care cred în ce citesc.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“I have the curse of reason: I'm poor, single and depressed. For months now I've been thinking about my illness of thinking too much, and I've established with complete certainty the correlation between my unhappiness and the incontinence of my mind. Probing and pondering and overanalyzing have never given me any advantages; they've only played against me.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“حزن أنطوان لأنه اضطر لتنمية أنانيته ولا أخلاقيته لكي يحيا في هذا العالم”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“- Pourquoi n'as-tu plus d'amis ?
- Ils ont moisi. Je n'avais pas remarqué qu'ils avaient une date de péremption. Il faut faire attention à ça. Mes amis ont commencé à avoir des traces de pourriture, des taches vertes assez dégoûtantes. Ce qu'ils disaient commençait vraiment à sentir mauvais... ("Comment je suis devenu stupide", p210)”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Alcoolul este legat de istoria omenirii şi că numără mai mulţi adepţi decît creştinismul, budismul şi islamismul la un loc.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“„Viața este un animal care se hrănește cu cecuri și cu cărți de credit.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Life was nothing but endless torture. He no longer felt any pleasure watching the sun rise, his every waking moment was sour, ruining the taste of anything that could have brought him enjoyment. As he had never really felt that he was living, he was not afraid of death. He was even happy that, in death, he would find the sole proof that he had been alive.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“There are people in this life for whom even the best of things don't work out. They could wear cashmere suits and still look like tramps; be very rich but badly in debt; be tall but lousy at basketball.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“- Mais tu sais, l'alcool ne te guérira pas. Il ne faut pas que tu croies ça. Ça apaisera tes blessures, mais cela t'en donnera d'autres, peut-être pires. Tu ne pourras plus te passer de l'alcool, et même si, au début, tu éprouves une euphorie, un bonheur à boire, ça disparaîtra vite pour ne laisser place qu'à la tyrannie de la dépendance et du manque. Ta vie ne sera que brumes, états de sémi-conscience, hallucinations, paranoïa, crises de delirium tremens, violence contre ton entourage. Ta personnalité se désagrégera...
- C'est ce que je veux ! martela Antoine en frappant le comptoir de son petit poing. Je n'ai plus la force d'être moi, plus le courage, plus l'envie d'avoir quelque chose comme une personnalité. Une personnalité, c'est un luxe qui me coûte cher. Je veux être un spectre banal. J'en ai assez de ma liberté de pensée, de toutes mes connaissances, de ma satanée conscience ! ("Comment je suis devenu stupide", p34)”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Antoine n'avait pas pu être alcoolique. Il prit comme remède de substitution la résolution de se suicider. Être alcoolique avait été sa dernière ambition d'intégration sociale, se donner la mort était l'ultime moyen qu'il voyait pour participer au monde. ("Comment devenir stupide", p41)”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Eu cred că să fii inteligent este mai rău decât să fii prost, pentru că un prost nu-şi dă seama ce-i cu el, pe când cineva inteligent, chiar dacă-i umil şi modest tot o ştie.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“إن شخصًا عاقًلا سيشعر دائمًا، وسط نقاش، بالتبسيط، وستكون رغبته الوحيدة القيام بتشطيبات ووضع علامات نجمية على بعض الكلمات وملاحظات في أسفل الصفحة وتعليقات في نهاية المخطوطة ليعبر حقًا عن فكره. ولكن في نقاش يجري في ركن من ممر، أو أثناء عشاء أو على صفحات صحيفة، قلما يكون ذلك ممكنًا: فالموضوع ليس موضوع قسوة وموضوعية وتجرد ونزاهة. الفضيلة هي عقبلة بلاغية وهي غير ناجعة في جدل. بعض العقول النيرة، التي ترى الخواء الضروري لكل نقاش، اختارت أن تتخابث وتوسوس بالتعقيد عبر المفارقة والدعابة المواربة. لما لا؟ ففي النهاية هذه وسيلة نجاة.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Fura cărţile pagină cu pagină şi le reconstituia la adăpost, în apartamentul său, ca un editor clandestin. Fiecare pagină, fiind câştigată printr-un delict, căpăta o valoare simbolică mult mai mare decât dacă ar fi fost lipită şi pierdută printre suratele ei; desprinsă dintr-o carte, şterpelită, pe urmă legată la loc cu răbdare,ea devenea sacră. Biblioteca lui Antoine număra astfel vreo douăzeci de cărţi reconstituite în preţioasa lui ediţie particulară.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“C'est ce que je veux, je veux d'autres tourments, des maux réels, des manifestations physiques d'un comportement précis. La cause de mon mal sera l'alcool ; pas la vérité, l'alcool. Je préfère une maladie qui tient dans les limites d'une bouteille plutôt qu'une maladie immatérielle et toute-puissante sur laquelle je ne peux pas mettre de nom ("Comment je suis devenu stupide", p37)”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“„Teoria mea … teoria mea este că e mai bine să mori câtă vreme nu ți-a luat viața totul. Trebuie să păstrezi muniț
ii, energie pentru moarte și să nu ajungi acolo complet golit, ca bătrânii ăștia acriți si nefericiți.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“- Por que a gente não teria o direito de criticar, de achar certas pessoas babacas e fracas, sob pretexto de que teríamos um clima pesado e ciumento? Todo o mundo se comporta como se fôssemos todos iguais, como se fôssemos todos ricos, educados, poderosos, brancos, jovens, belos, machos, felizes, como se todos estivéssemos com boa saúde, como se todos tivéssemos um carrão... Mas isso, obviamente, não é verdade. Por isso, tenho o direito de gritar, de estar de mau humor, de não sorrir idiotamente todo o tempo, de dar a minha opinião quando vejo coisas não-normais e injustas, e até de insultar pessoas. Tenho o direito de protestar.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“-حياتي كارثة، ولكن ليس هذا هو الأخطر، المشكلة الحقيقية هي أنني أدرك ذلك...”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“الذّكاء هو إخفاق في الارتقاء. في عصر الإنسان البدائي ما قبل التّاريخي، أتخيّل جيّدًا، وسط قبيلة صغيرة، كلّ الأطفال و هم يركضون وسط الأدغال، و يطاردون العظّايات، و يقطفون العنبيّات للعشاء، و يتعلّمون تدريجيًّا، من خلال احتكاكهم بالبالغين، أن يكونوا رجالًا و نساء كاملين: صيّادون، قطّافون، صيّادو سمك، دبّاغون... و لكن إذا أمعنّا النّظر في حياة هذه القبيلة سنكتشف أنّ بعض الأطفال لا يشاركون في أنشطة الجماعة: يظلّون جالسين قرب النّار، آمنين داخل الكهف.
سوف لن يحسنوا قط الدّفاع عن أنفسهم ذد نمور بأنياب قاطعة، ولا أن يصطادوا، سوف لن يبقوا، باستسلامهم، أحياء لليلة واحدة. و إذا كانوا يمضون أيّامهم دون أن يفعلوا شيئًا، فذلك ليس بسبب الكسل و الخمول، بل يرغبون في أن يقفزوا و يلهوا مع زملائهم و لكنّهم لا يستطيعون. فالطّبيعة، حينما أنجبتهم إلى الدّني، أصابتهم بالعجز. في هذه القبيلة الصّغيرة، ثمّة طفلة ضريرة و صبيّ أعرج، و آخر أخرق و شارد الذّهن...

و بالتّالي، يلزمون طيلة النّهار مسكنهم، و لأنّ ليس لديهم ما يفعلوه سوى ألعاب الفيديو التي لم تخترع بعد، يضطرّون للتّفكير و ترك أفكارهم شاردة. فيمضون وقتهم في التّفكير، في محاولة فك طلاسم العالم، في تخيّل حكايات و ابتكارات. و هكذا تولد الحضارة: لأنّ أولادًا عاجزين ليس لديهم ما يفعلونه غير ذلك.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Compró suntuosos trajes, que suscitarán la risa de las próximas generaciones, y que, por el momento, difundían su superioridad sobre el vulgo que no dispone de medios para exhibir tan pésimo gusto con tan natural ostentación.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Cei care cred ca inteligenta are vreo noblete, cu siguranta ca n-au destula pentru a-si da seama ca nu e decat un blestem.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Creştinii au mare noroc că sînt de foarte tineri puşi în gardă împotriva riscului inteligenţei; ei vor şti, toată viaţa, să se ferească de ea. Fericiţi cei săraci cu duhul.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Renunţarea la inteligenţa veritabilă este preţul care trebuie plătit pentru a avea certitudini, şi este întotdeauna o cheltuială invizibilă la banca conştiinţei noastre, în sensul ăsta, îi prefer pe cei care nu se-nvăluie în mantia raţiunii şi recunosc caracterul fictiv al credinţei lor.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“Tout le monde a des choses à dire sur les femmes, les hommes, les flics, les assassins. Nous généralisons à partir de notre propre expérience, de ce qui nous arrange, de ce que l'on peut comprendre avec les maigres moyens de nos réseaux neuronaux et suivant la perspective de notre vision. C'est une facilité qui permet de penser rapidement, de juger et de se positionner. Cela n'a pas de valeur en soi, ce sont des signaux, des petits drapeaux que chacun agite. Et tout le monde défend la vérité de ses avantages, de son sexe, de sa fortune.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

“يبسط البشرالعالم باللغة والفكر، وبذلك تكون لديهم يقينيات، وامتلاك اليقينيات هو الشهوة الأقوى في هذا العالم، إنها أقوى بكثير من المال ومن السلطة. إن ذكاء حقيقي هوالثمن الذي ينبغي دفعه لامتلاك اليقينيات، وهذا دائما مصروف مستور في مصرف وعينا. على هذا، أنا أفضل الذين لا يفلحون بمعطف العقل ويؤكدون وهم اعتقادعم. وكذلك المؤمن الذي يقر بأن إيمانه ليس سوى اعتقاد وليس شقعة على حقيقة الأشياء الواقعية.”
― Martin Page, quote from How I Became Stupid

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