Posthumous portrait from 1845 by Domenico Morelli
"Death is not an evil, because it frees us from all evils, and while it takes away good things, it takes away also the desire for them. Old age is the supreme evil, because it deprives us of all pleasures, leaving us only the appetite for them, and it brings with it all sufferings. Nevertheless, we fear death, and we desire old age."
— Giacomo Leopardi, Thoughts
Count Giacomo Taldegardo Francesco di Sales Saverio Pietro Leopardi (29 June 1798 — 14 June 1837) was an Italian poet, philosopher, essayist, and philologist. He is considered to be one of the greatest Italian poets of the 19th century and a major figure of romanticism. He is also known for reflecting on the human condition, which reveals his intense philosophical pessimism, which contrasts him with his older, Catholic contemporary, Alessandro Manzoni.
