Quotes from Sleepwalking Land

Mia Couto ·  256 pages

Rating: (1.9K votes)


“- Não gosto de pretos, Kindzu.
- Como? Então gosta de quem? Dos brancos?
- Também não.
- Já sei: gosta de indianos, gosta da sua raça.
- Não. Eu gosto de homens que não tem raça. É por isso que eu gosto de si, Kindzu.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Agora, eu via o meu país como uma dessas baleias que vêm agonizar na praia. A morte nem sucedera e já as facas lhe roubavam pedaços, cada um tentando o mais para si”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Afinal, em meio da vida sempre se faz a inexistente conta: temos mais ontens ou mais amanhãs?”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“A morte, afinal, é uma corda que nos amarra as veias. O nó está lá desde que nascemos. O tempo vai esticando as pontas da corda, nos estancando pouco a pouco.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Porque esta guerra não foi feita para vos tirar do país mas para tirar o país de dentro de vós.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land



“Quem não tem amigo é que viaja sem bagagem”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Aquele momento confirmava: o melhor da vida é o que não há-de vir.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Foi por isso que fizeram esta guerra, para envenenar o ventre do tempo, para que o presente parisse monstros em lugar de esperança. (...) Porque esta guerra não foi feita para vos tirar do país mas para tirar o país de dentro de vós.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“O que faz andar a estrada? É o sonho. Enquanto a gente sonhar a estrada permanecerá viva. É para isso que servem os caminhos, para nos fazerem parentes do futuro.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Talvez, quem sabe, cumprisse o que sempre fora: sonhador de lembranças, inventor de verdades. Um sonâmbulo passeando entre o fogo. Um sonâmbulo como a terra em que nascera.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land



“As mulheres, em instante, ficaram tema. Mulheres é bom quando não há amor, disse. Porque o amor é esquivadiço. A gente lhe monta casa, ele nasce no quintal. Vale a pena uma puta, miúdo. Gastamos o bolso, não o peito.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Agora, já o barquinho balouça. Aos poucos se vai tornando leve como mulher ao sabor da carícia e se solta do colo da terra, já livre, navegável.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Afinal, eu estava como dizia o cantador da aldeia: no sossego, sou cego; na timaca (confusão) não vejo”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“grão a grão o papa se enche de galinhas”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“After us, there was no more world to receive anyone.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land



“A guerra é uma cobra que usa os nossos próprios dentes para nos morder.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“A gente vai chegando à morte como um rio que desencorpa no mar: uma parte está nascendo e, simultânea, a outra já se assombra no sem-fim.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“E ao ouvir os sonhos de Tuahir, com os ruídos da guerra por trás, ele vai pensando: não inventaram ainda uma pólvora suave, maneirosa, capaz de explodir os homens sem lhes matar. Uma pólvora que, em avessos serviços, gerasse mais vida. E do homem explodido nascessem os infinitos homens que lhes estão por dentro.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Aquele lugar lhe deixava um frio interior. Afinal, todos queremos no peito o nó de um outro peito, o devolver da metade que perdemos ao nascer.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Tudo o resto se passou em silêncio como se perto já não se escutassem. O amor que trocaram é assunto para duas vidas inteiras, abandonadas para sempre num barquito sem rumo.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land



“Fui para o convés, molhado até dentro dos olhos.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Cinzas, se nos olhos dela dormitavam, em brasas se acenderam.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


“Aqui só há outroras, isto é água riscando fósforos.”
― Mia Couto, quote from Sleepwalking Land


About the author

Mia Couto
Born place: in Beira, Mozambique
Born date July 5, 1955
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“Ryder’s heart beats madly against my ear as we cling to each other, holding on for dear life. Adrenaline races through my veins, making my breath come in short gasps. I can feel Ryder’s fingers in my hair, his nails digging into my scalp as he presses me tightly against his body, his muscles bunched and rigid.
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“Okay, let me rephrase. It’s not uncomfortable.”
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