A vida...e uma enorme loteria; os premios sao poucos, os malogrados inumeros, e com os suspiros de uma geracao e que se amassam as esperancas de outra. Isto e a vida.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Life is like a huge lottery where few win and many lose, and each generation’s hopes are built on the sighs of the previous one.
- In plain terms
- Life is an uneven lottery, with hopes passed down across generations.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize the randomness of success and the weight of inherited hopes.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What role does personal effort play in this 'lottery'?
- How can we break the cycle of inherited disappointment?
Another view
The lottery metaphor oversimplifies effort and systemic factors.
More from Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
Entendia que ha larga ponderacao de males e bens, e que a arte de viver consiste em tirar o maior bem do maior mal.
Permalink to quote #1 A melhor definicao do amor nao vale um beijo de moca namorada.
Permalink to quote #3 Creio ate que o coracao dela ensinou-me alguma coisa, embora novico, ou por isso mesmo. Nesta materia desaprende-se com o uso e o ignorante e que e douto.
Permalink to quote #4
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