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It's the job of intellectuals and writers to cast doubt on perfection.
Antonio Tabucchi
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Intellectuals and writers should challenge and question the idea of perfection.

This quote by Antonio Tabucchi emphasizes the critical role of intellectuals and writers in society. It suggests that instead of accepting perfection as an attainable goal, they should inspire skepticism and inquiry, fostering a deeper understanding of reality and the complexities of life. By casting doubt on notions of perfection, they help illuminate the imperfections inherent in human experience, encouraging others to embrace complexity and growth.

Themes

IntellectualsWritersPerfectionDoubtCriticism

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about arts and literature, to highlight the importance of questioning established norms.

More from Antonio Tabucchi

Fifty years after half a million gypsies were exterminated in the Second World War - thousands of them in Auschwitz - we're again preparing the mass killing of this minority.
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Like a blazing comet, I've traversed infinite nights, interstellar spaces of the imagination, voluptuousness and fear. I've been a man, a woman, an old person, a little girl, I've been the crowds on the grand boulevards of the capital cities of the West, I've been the serene Buddha of the East, whose calm and wisdom we envy. I've known honor and dishonor, enthusiasm and exhaustion. ...I've been the sun and the moon, and everything because life is not enough.
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Rather than regret for what I have written, I feel regret for what I shall never be able to read.
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