Quotes from O Alienista

“A loucura, objeto dos meus estudos, era até agora uma ilha perdida no oceano da razão; começo a suspeitar que é um continente.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Mas deveras estariam eles doido, e foram curados por mim, ou o que pareceu cura não foi mais do que a descoberta do perfeito desequilíbrio do cérebro?”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Assim é que cada louco furioso era trancado em uma alcova na própria casa, e não curado, mas descurado até que a morte o vinha desfraldar do benefício da vida.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Nada tenho que ver com a ciência; mas, se tantos homens em quem supomos juízo são reclusos por dementes, quem nos afirma que o alienado não é o alienista?”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“His eyes, blind to external reality but highly perceptive in the realm of the inner life, rose from the book to the ceiling and returned to the book.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Demais, a Casa Verde é uma instituição pública; tal a aceitamos das mãos da câmara dissolvida. Há entretanto – por força que há de haver – um alvitre intermédio que restituiu o sossego ao espírito público”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Imagem vivaz do gênio e do louco: um fita o presente, com todas as suas lágrimas e saudades, outro devassa o futuro com todas as suas auroras.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Simão Bacamarte entendeu desde logo reformar tão ruim costume; pediu licença à câmara para agasalhar e tratar no edifício que ia construir todos os loucos de Itaguaí e das demais vilas e cidades, mediante um estipêndio, que a câmara lhe daria quando a família do enfermo o não pudesse fazer.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“[...] mas pode entrar no ânimo do governo eliminar a loucura? Não. E se o governo não a pode eliminar, está ao menos apto para discriminá-la, reconhecê-la? Também não; é matéria de Ciência.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“[...] daí a alegação de que não havia regra para a completa sanidade mental.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“O desfecho deste episódio da crônica itaguaiense é de tal ordem, e tão inesperado, que merecia nada menos de dez capítulo de exposição; mas contento-me com um que será o remate da narrativa, e um dos mais belos exemplos de convicção científica e abnegação humana.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“A razão é o perfeito equilíbrio de todas as faculdades; fora daí insânia, insânia e só insânia.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“- A Casa Verde é um cárcere privado – disse um médico sem clínica.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Destruamos o cárcere de vossos filhos e pais, de vossas mães e irmãos, de vossos parentes e amigos e de vós mesmos. Ou morrereis a pão e água, talvez a chicote, na masmorra daquele indigno.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Simão Bacamarte refletiu ainda um instante, e disse:
- Suponho o espírito humano uma vasta concha, o meu fim, Sr. Soares, é ver se posso extrair a pérola, que é a razão; por outros termos, demarquemos definitivamente os limites da razão e da loucura. A razão é o perfeito equilíbrio de todas as faculdades; fora daí insânia, insânia e insânia.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“He had found in himself the perfect, undeniable case of insanity. He possessed wisdom, patience, tolerance, truthfulness, loyalty, and moral fortitude—all the qualities that go to make an utter madman.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Bacamarte evidenced neither vanity nor modesty; he listened in silence, as impassive as a stone god.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“He discriminated against neither the avaricious nor the prodigal: both were committed to the asylum; this led people to say that the alienist's concept of madness included practically everybody.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“He was happy because, after such a long study, experimentation, and struggle, he could at last affirm the ultimate truth: there never were and never would be any madmen in Itaguai or anywhere else.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Los locos de amor eran tres o cuatro, pero sólo les resultaban asombrosos por la curiosa índole de su delirio.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“—Não nos dispersaremos. Se quereis os nossos cadáveres, podeis tomá-los; mas só os cadáveres; não levareis a nossa honra, o nosso crédito, os nossos direitos, e com eles a salvação de Itaguaí.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

“Till now, madness has been thought a small island in an ocean of sanity. I am beginning to suspect that it is not an island at all but a continent.”
― Machado de Assis, quote from O Alienista

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BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

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