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In general, we Portuguese only begin to be idiotic when we reach the age of reason. While we are young we all have a spark of genius.

— José Maria Eça de Queiroz Cartas de Inglaterra (1879)

Em geral, nós outros, os Portugueses, só começamos a ser idiotas – quando chegamos à idade da razão. Em pequenos temos todos uma pontinha de génio.

Original text (Portuguese)

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Intelligence

More quotes by José Maria Eça de Queiroz

Over the sturdy nakedness of truth
the diaphanous veil of phantasy.

A Relíquia (1887)

Love makes man spiritual – and woman material.

José Matias (1897)

The Englishman without his tea fights only half-heartedly.

Cartas de Inglaterra (1879)

Superior forms of thought have a fatal tendency of later becoming revealed law: and all philosophy ends, in its last stages, by becoming religion.

Cartas de Inglaterra (1879)

I came to the conclusion – as one invariably does in philosophy – that I was up against a primary cause and therefore an insoluble one.

José Matias (1897)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: José Maria Eça de Queiroz (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.