Status Updates From La misura del mondo

Boredom had never troubled him, said the elder brother. He had just not wanted to be alone.
He had always been alone, said Humboldt, but it was boredom that had terrified him to death.

This sad man didn't explore a thing, said Humboldt. Any more than a bird explores the air or a fish explores water.
Or a German explores humor, said Bonpland.

“And besides, life was so damn short, why gamble on it?”
“Because it was short.”

I will have to tear myself away from this book !

“That was the moment when he grasped that nobody wanted to use their minds. People wanted peace. They wanted to eat and sleep and have other people be nice to them. What they didn't want to do was think.”