I could do without them
Andámos semanas, meses a levar o senhor Judt por companhia nos transportes públicos. O ritual era sempre o mesmo: ligar o computador, abrir o ensaio, imprimir, agrafar, guardar, sair, ler. Curiosamente, só hoje, tanto tempo passado, li o primeiro dos textos, ‘Night’. Citemos a grande lição:
'The pleasures of mental agility are much overstated, inevitably—as it now appears to me—by those not exclusively dependent upon them. Much the same can be said of well-meaning encouragements to find nonphysical compensations for physical inadequacy. That way lies futility. Loss is loss, and nothing is gained by calling it by a nicer name. My nights are intriguing; but I could do without them.'