The Strength of Fragile Days Quotes

“Being dissatisfied isn’t enough—you need the courage to take the leap, to accept the risk of failing. I kept picturing the man at the station, fixated on the loudspeaker’s repeated warning to “Stand back from the yellow line.” Those words, so simple and practical, struck me as symbolic of the endless fears that keep us stuck, all the times we stay on the platform while the trains of life pass us by.
I imagined him there, motionless, eyes glued to the tracks. Maybe at first, he’d ventured near the line, tempted by the idea of boarding a train. Then the metallic voice—“Stand back from the yellow line”—had held him back. To avoid danger, he’d decided to stay put, obeying an order that felt bigger than he was. And so, even as trains went by—slow or fast, heading for exotic places or unfulfilled dreams—he never budged. He watched them pass with equal parts curiosity and regret, continuing to obey that warning meant for moving trains, not for him.”
― Pierenrico Gottero, The Strength of Fragile Days: A Long Journey Across the Middle Lands

“One of the most powerful experiences in which these questions would surface was listening to the guitar solo in Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. Some said the band had made a pact with the devil, that the song contained hidden satanic messages if played backwards. But for me, especially during the final solo, it felt like a portal opening onto something mysterious and absolute. As if those notes – in their apparent simplicity – held the power to evoke a longing for the infinite. Every chord seemed like a threshold to cross, an invitation to go beyond the visible and to question the deeper meaning of existence.”
― Pierenrico Gottero, The Strength of Fragile Days: A Long Journey Across the Middle Lands

“. Running a restaurant isn’t just about serving food—it’s about serving memories. People don’t come back for what you put on the plate, but for what you leave in their hearts.....It’s like a good wine, isn’t it? It’s never just about the grapes or the bottle. It’s about the sun that ripened the fruit, the soil that fed it, the hands that picked it. Every sip tells a story, and if that story is genuine, people will remember it.”
― Pierenrico Gottero, The Strength of Fragile Days: A Long Journey Across the Middle Lands

“Desire,” he replied firmly. “Their abundance, that ‘everything right now’ which they got without any effort, had killed their sense of longing. All that luxury had made them numb. They had no idea what it meant to dream of something unattainable, to feel that hunger for achieving something that seemed so far away. They never had to fight for anything, and that made them weak—unable to adapt or respond.”
― Pierenrico Gottero, The Strength of Fragile Days: A Long Journey Across the Middle Lands

“Being a leader isn’t just about power or control, but something much deeper: the ability to generate positive change, both inside yourself and in the world around you. To do that, you need a solid foundation. You have to be at peace with yourself. You can’t guide others if you yourself aren’t comfortable with who you are, with what you stand for, and with the choices you’ve made. Leadership isn’t an exercise in force, but rather a balance between your self-esteem, your confidence in your abilities, and your capacity to instill that same confidence in others.”
― Pierenrico Gottero, The Strength of Fragile Days: A Long Journey Across the Middle Lands

“Being a true leader, whether as a parent or as an entrepreneur, means accepting that failure is an essential part of growth. It means having the patience to let people stumble, knowing that those moments of difficulty will plant the seeds of maturity. It means realizing that your job isn’t to eliminate problems, but to teach others how to face them. And in the end, a leader’s success isn’t measured just by tangible results, but by what they leave behind: stronger people, more aware and ready to forge their own path with confidence and determination.”
― Pierenrico Gottero, The Strength of Fragile Days: A Long Journey Across the Middle Lands

“I think you can only truly experience that sense of absolute freedom—that feeling that makes you feel completely alive—at two points in life: in the unbridled recklessness of youth, or in the wise awareness of maturity. In between, Andrea… in between it’s all about trying, falling, getting back up, making mistakes, and learning.
And you know what’s the strangest thing? The more you’ve experienced that freedom in your youth, the more you’ll do anything to find it again as an adult. It’s a natural calling, a primal need, something you feel in your bones and in your skin.”
― Pierenrico Gottero, The Strength of Fragile Days: A Long Journey Across the Middle Lands