The quotations of

Umberto Eco

Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist

1932–2016

7 quotes, most often on Politics.

A democratic civilization will save itself only if it makes the language of the image into a stimulus for critical reflection — not an invitation for hypnosis.
“Can Television Teach?” in Screen Education 31 (1979), p. 12
- Democracy
- Television
Fascism became an all-purpose term because one can eliminate from a fascist regime one or more features, and it will still be recognizable as fascist.
Ur-Fascism (1995)
- Politics
Ur-Fascism is still around us, sometimes in plainclothes.
Ur-Fascism (1995)
- Politics
A philosophy has a practical power: it contributes to the changing of the world.
Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language (1984), [O] : Introduction, 0.7
- Change
- Philosophy
Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn’t ask ourselves what it says but what it means…
The Name of the Rose (1980), William of Baskerville
- Reading
No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume of organized information to be fed in.
Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language (1984), Ch. 3: “Metaphor”, 3.12 Conclusions
- Computers
The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else. If it had been possible he would have settled the matter otherwise, and without bloodshed.
“Why Are They Laughing In Those Cages?”, in Travels in Hyperreality: Essays‎ (1986), Ch. III: The Gods of the Underworld, p. 122
- Courage

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