55 Umberto Eco Quotes for You to Enjoy

Umberto Eco

Italian Novelist

Born: Jan 5, 1932

Died: Feb 19, 2016

Book Good Life People World You

I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth. Umberto Eco

Truth World Made Own Believe Harmless Our Though Mad Attempt Had Come Terrible Underlying Whole Enigma Interpret

Religion has nothing to do with God. It's a fundamental attitude of human beings, who ask about the origins of life and what happens after death. For many, the answer is a personal god. In my opinion, it's religion that produces God, not the other way round. Umberto Eco

Life Attitude Death God Religion Nothing Other Way About Opinion Answer Personal Human In My Opinion Human Beings After Happens Ask Produces Who Many Beings Round Fundamental Origins

Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned. Umberto Eco

Believe Those Followers Only Know Learned Occult Confirm Things

A book is a fragile creature, it suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements and clumsy hands. so the librarian protects the books not only against mankind but also against nature and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion. Umberto Eco

Life War Time Nature Book Fears Books Librarian Wear Only Oblivion Also Forces Protects His Rodents Hands Against Clumsy Mankind Creature Elements Suffers Fragile

Beauty is boring because it is predictable. Umberto Eco

Beauty Boring Because Predictable

It is a myth of publishers that people want to read easy things. Umberto Eco

People Myth Easy Read Want Publishers Things

But now I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth. Umberto Eco

Truth World Made Own Believe Harmless Our Though Mad Attempt Had Come Terrible Underlying Whole Now Enigma Interpret

In the United States there's a Puritan ethic and a mythology of success. He who is successful is good. In Latin countries, in Catholic countries, a successful person is a sinner. Umberto Eco

Success Good Latin States Puritan Mythology He Countries Catholic Sinner Person Ethic Successful Successful Person Who United United States

What does culture want? To make infinity comprehensible. Umberto Eco

Culture Comprehensible Make Does Infinity Want

Captain Cook discovered Australia looking for the Terra Incognita. Christopher Columbus thought he was finding India but discovered America. History is full of events that happened because of an imaginary tale. Umberto Eco

History Events Thought Looking Christopher India Finding He Columbus Tale Because Discovered Australia America Happened Cook Full Captain Imaginary

Libraries can take the place of God. Umberto Eco

God Libraries Take Place

How does a person feel when looking at the sky? He thinks that he doesn't have enough tongues to describe what he sees. Nevertheless, people have never stopping describing the sky, simply listing what they see. Umberto Eco

The comic is the perception of the opposite; humor is the feeling of it. Umberto Eco

Humor Perception Feeling Comic Opposite

Translation is the art of failure. Umberto Eco

Art Failure Translation

Every time that I write a novel I am convinced for at least two years that it is the last one, because a novel is like a child. It takes two years after its birth. You have to take care of it. It starts walking, and then speaking. Umberto Eco

Time You I Am Care Every Starts Every Time Birth I Write Write Take Take Care Takes Like Because Am Least Years Walking Child After Then Convinced Speaking Novel Last Two

There is nothing more difficult to define than an aphorism. Umberto Eco

Nothing Difficult Define More Than Aphorism

A transposable aphorism is a malaise of the urge to be witty, or in other words, a maxim that is untroubled by the fact that the opposite of what it says is equally true so long as it appears to be funny. Umberto Eco

Funny Words Long Other Says Fact True Equally Witty Opposite Maxim In Other Words Urge Aphorism Appears

I don't want to write a novel per year. I know that I need a break of one or two years. So maybe I invent some new, urgent activity so I don't fall into the trap of starting a new novel. Umberto Eco

All the religious wars that have caused blood to be shed for centuries arise from passionate feelings and facile counter-positions, such as Us and Them, good and bad, white and black. Umberto Eco

Good Black Feelings White Bad Religious Religious Wars Facile Arise Shed Caused Passionate Blood Them Centuries Us Good And Bad Wars

Human beings are religious animals. Umberto Eco

Animals Religious Human Human Beings Beings

Creativity can only be anarchic, capitalist, Darwinian. Umberto Eco

Creativity Anarchic Darwinian Only Capitalist