Leo Longanesi's most ferocious one-liners
The top 3 according to 21 votes from people: Our national flag should bear, in big letters: "I have a family." · Good for nothing, but capable of anything. · If there is one thing that works in Italy, it is disorder.. (Updated Aug 10, 2020.)
"Good for nothing, but capable of anything", an Italy that prefers inaugurations to maintenance and a flag bearing the words "I have a family": the most quoted aphorisms of Italian journalist Leo Longanesi, from his notebooks Parliamo dell'elefante and La sua signora, with the date he wrote them down.
Automatically translated (original in Italiano). See the original
Top 18
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1
Our national flag should bear, in big letters: "I have a family."
Parliamo dell'elefante (Roma, 26 novembre 1945).
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2
Good for nothing, but capable of anything.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 29 marzo 1955).
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3
If there is one thing that works in Italy, it is disorder.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 17 novembre 1955).
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4
Italy prefers inaugurating things to maintaining them.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 3 agosto 1955).
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5
We Italians would like to have a revolution with the permission of the carabinieri.
Quoted in Beppe Severgnini, La vita è un viaggio (2015), p. 27.
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6
In Italy, everyone is an extremist out of caution.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 19 febbraio 1956).
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7
A true journalist: explains very well what he does not know.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 22 marzo 1957).
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8
It is not freedom that is lacking; it is free men.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 8 gennaio 1957).
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9
Better to take on an undersecretaryship than a responsibility.
Parliamo dell'elefante (Roma, 4 novembre 1944).
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10
The Italian: totalitarian in the kitchen, democratic in parliament, Catholic in bed, communist at the factory.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 11 agosto 1956).
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11
All revolutions begin in the street and end at the dinner table.
Parliamo dell'elefante (27 maggio 1940).
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12
An intellectual is a gentleman who has the books he has not read bound.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 27 novembre 1955).
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13
One fool is a fool. Two fools are two fools. Ten thousand fools are a historical force.
Parliamo dell'elefante (15 dicembre 1938).
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14
When we are able to tell the whole truth, we will no longer remember it.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 6 agosto 1957).
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15
You have no idea of the ideas of people without ideas.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 1° agosto 1956).
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16
When their conscience rings the doorbell, they pretend not to be home.
La sua signora, notebook (Milano, 20 gennaio 1951).
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17
They lived unhappily ever after because it was cheaper.
Parliamo dell'elefante (15 marzo 1938).
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18
The Neapolitan does not beg for alms; he suggests them to you.
Parliamo dell'elefante (Napoli, 11 novembre 1943).
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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