Brazil

From Selected Crônicas by Clarice Lispector:
 

An Untranslated Epigraph
As an epigraph for my novel A Paixão segundo G.H. [The Passion according to G.H.] I chose, or rather, miraculously came across, after finishing the book, a quotation from the art historian Bernard Berenson. Even though it had little to do with my novel, I could not resist using the phrase.
But in my enthusiasm, I made one mistake. I made no attempt to translate the epigraph but left it in English, forgetting that the Brazilian reader is not obliged to understand another language. It would be difficult, however, to capture the beauty and perfection of Berenson's own words in any other language:
A complete life may be one ending in
so full an identification with the non-self
that there is no self to die.
Swimming Against the Tide
I have struggled all my life to cure this tendency to daydream, lest it should carry me into remote waters. But the effort of swimming against this gentle current takes away some of my vital strength. And if, in fighting off daydreams, I gain in terms of action, I inwardly lose something very precious which can never be replaced. But one of these days I shall have to go, without worrying where I might end up.