Birth Quote by José Saramago
““...the name of the baby girl, the names of her parents and godparents, the date and hour of her birth, the street and the number of the apartment where she first saw the light of day and first felt pain, the same beginning as everyone else, the differences, great and small, come later, some of those who are born become entries in encyclopedias, in history books, in biographies, in catalogues, in manuals, in collections of newspaper clippings, the others, roughly speaking, are like a cloud that passes without leaving behind it any trace of its passing, and if rain fell from that cloud it did not even wet the earth. Like me, thought Senhor Jose. He had a cupboard full of men and women about whom the newspapers wrote almost every day, on the table was a birth certificate of an unknown person, and it was as if he had placed them both in the pans of a scale, a hundred on this side, one the other, and was surprised to discover that all of them together weighted no more than this one, that one hundred equaled one, that one was worth as much as a hundred.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Blindness by José Saramago, 1995
Life’s value isn’t measured by fame or records but by the shared human experience of existence.
In simple terms: Every person matters equally regardless of fame.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the worth of all lives.
Themes
equality
humanity
existence
humility
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- birth records
- family histories
- social stratification
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
philosophy
social commentary
identity
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you honor the unseen lives around you?
- What does equality mean in daily actions?
A Different Perspective
Fame and achievements can also reflect personal impact.
