“When all by myself, I can think of all kinds of clever remarks, quick comebacks to what no one said, and flashes of witty sociability with nobody. But all of this vanishes when I face someone in the flesh: I lose my intelligence, I can no longer speak, and after half an hour I just feel tired. Talking to people makes me feel like sleeping.”
More from Fernando Pessoa
“My soul is impatient with itself, as with a bothersome child; its restlessness keeps…”
“My memories have turned into anxieties.”
“I wasn’t meant for reality, but life came and found me.”
“I hear the wind blow, and I feel that it was worth being born just to hear the wind blow.”