Albert Cossery > Quotes

“كان عليه أن يدرك شيئا بالغ البساطة وهو أن سلطة الشرطة الدائمة هي في امتثالها لكل الأنظمة”
― Albert Cossery, The Jokers

“كان أحد مباديء فلسفته يقوم على أساس أن المشاكل تُحل من تلقاء نفسها إذا لم نعرها أدنى اهتمام”
― Albert Cossery, The Colors of Infamy

“What drew him towards the outside was not the student, not the goat, not even the man in the down-at-heel shoes who joined them. Simply the street, like a blanched life-drained cadaver, fettered his whole attention. Never before had he seen it look so monstrously real, lit by the tired face of the moon, quiet and grave. There was about it, as it were, a sort of despairing dignity. You might have thought that the street had been killed by the weight of its suffering, that it had that moment died after long agony. It was old, the street, hobbling and twisted with age. Some of its houses were already crumbling in ruins. For years now it had sheltered the petty life of men. And now they had elected it to express the extent of their weariness. Naked beneath the prodigious brightness of the moon, it revealed all that men hid in the depths of their beings, the little hopes, the hates so huge. No longer could it hide anything; it cried out its despair from every corner.”
― Albert Cossery, Men God Forgot

“This easy obedience to tyrants, which often verged on devotion, always surprised him. He had come to believe that the majority of human beings aspired only to slavery. He had long wondered by what ruse this enormous enterprise of mystification orchestrated by the wealthy had been able to spread and prosper on every continent. Karamallah belonged to that category of true aristocrats who had tossed out like old soiled clothes all the values and all the dogma that these infamous individuals had generated over centuries in order to perpetuate their supremacy. And so his joy in being alive was in no way altered by these stinking dogs' enduring power on the planet. On the contrary, he found their stupid and criminal acts to be an inexhaustible source of entertainment -- so much so that there were times when he had to admit he would miss this mob were they to disappear; he feared the aura of boredom that would envelop mankind once purged of its vermin.”
― Albert Cossery, The Colors of Infamy

“School taught me only to read and write. And that sliver of learning set me on the surest road to starving to death in honesty and ignorance. You were the first to open my eyes to widespread corruption. To have understood that the only forces that drive humanity are thieving and swindling - that’s real intelligence. And you didn’t even go to school.”
― Albert Cossery, The Colors of Infamy

“Se um determinado livro não tiver sobre o leitor um tal impacto que no dia seguinte ele deixe de ir ao emprego, esse livro nada vale.”
― Albert Cossery

“Gohar smiled at the thought of El Kordi, at his exaggeration of his troubles, more fictitious than real, and his constant search for human dignity. "What is most futile in man," he thought, "is this search for dignity." All these people trying to maintain their dignity! For what? The history of mankind is a long, bloody nightmare only because of such nonsense.”
― Albert Cossery, Proud Beggars

“[T]he world we live in is governed by the most revolting bunch of crooks ever to defile the soil of this planet... [You] must never take them seriously, which is exactly what they want.”
― Albert Cossery, The Jokers

“راوده الشك في أن أسامة يدخن حتمًا الحشيش حتى يكون على هذه الدرجة من الذكاء”
― Albert Cossery, The Colors of Infamy

“A rua exprimia a perturbadora angústia de uma colectividade; não era um indivíduo orgulhoso a gabar-se da sua história. Era humana e grande na sua aflição por gritar a dor de toda uma multidão. E Sayed Karam assistia impotente a este grito dos homens através da matéria.”
― Albert Cossery, Men God Forgot

“What a nightmare!" cried Imtaz. "There's nothing gloomier than nature. You'll lose your sense of humor in the country. Unable to criticize the trees, your intelligence will lose its edge as you contemplate the plowed fields, and then, it'll be very easy for you to sing the praises of your fellow men because you won't be here to see and listen to them. Don't make that mistake. Never cut yourself off from mankind because, with distance, you're more likely to grant men extenuating circumstances. I love you too much to let you succumb to that weakness.”
― Albert Cossery, A Splendid Conspiracy

“His theory on the matter is quite original. He maintains that spiritual progress can only occur in a world of leisure. What do you think about that?'
'A world of leisure, truly!' Chawki exclaimed. 'I don't understand. Please explain what you mean.'
'It's quite simple,' said Medhat. 'From the beginning man's hardworking fate has made him unable to conceive of an ideal that is not material and does not correspond to his needs and his safety. All he thinks about is earning a living; this is what he is taught from childhood on. His only aim is to become cleverer and more of a bastard than everyone else. During his entire life, he uses his ingenuity to provide food for himself and, once he has eaten his fill, to invent some sordid ambition for himself. When, then, does he have time to elevate his spirit and his mind? The tiniest thought along these lines is considered a criminal offense, immediately punishable by disapproval and starvation. Therefore, I venture to affirm that only people of leisure can attain a way of thinking that is truly civilized.”
― Albert Cossery, A Splendid Conspiracy

“كل هؤلاء الناس لديهم عن الحكومة أفكار عجيبة، فالحكومة بالنسبة لهم عبارة عن عصابة من اللوطيين”
― Albert Cossery, The Jokers

“كان يلقنهم مبدأ واحد وهو: معرفة أن ما يقوله الكبار مزيف ولا أهمية له بالمرة”
― Albert Cossery, The Jokers

“Nour El Dine felt much more comfortable with the vagabonds, the rabble born to commit sordid offenses. At least you could frighten them. But these disreputable intellectuals were forever breaking down all sense of authority in him. Nour El Dine considered himself a reasonable being; that is, he believed in the existence of the government and in the speeches pronounced by ministers. He had blind faith in the institutions of the civilized world. The attitude of Yeghen and his fellow men always disconcerted him; they appeared not to realize that there was a government. They were not against the government; they simply were not aware of it.”
― Albert Cossery, Proud Beggars

“Bem sei que os pobres só podem falar de dinheiro, mas falar de dinheiro nunca enriqueceu ninguém.”
― Albert Cossery, As Cores da Infâmia

“فمجرد شعورهم بأنهم لا زالوا أحياء قد أعدم فيهم الرغبة في أن يأخذوا أي شيء آخر في اعتبارهم”
― Albert Cossery, The Colors of Infamy

“Não há nada de mais imoral do que roubar sem riscos. É o risco que nos diferencia dos banqueiros e dos seus émulos que praticam o roubo legalizado com a cobertura do governo. Não te inculquei a minha arte para te tornares um ladrão de cinema cuja única preocupação é não desagradar ao seu público.”
― Albert Cossery, The Colors of Infamy

“لقد سمع سراج أن الناس يعملون”
― Albert Cossery, Laziness in the Fertile Valley

“يجب أن يكون هناك شيء في عالم يسكنه الأحياء، وليس مجرد جثة عفنة. ولكن أين هذا العالم؟”
― Albert Cossery, Laziness in the Fertile Valley