Giovanni Floris Quotes

The truth exists, but we can never know if it is what we are saying.

Mi preparo molto e miro a un obiettivo. E in genere riesco a portarlo a casa.

Il potere non si contesta, si conquista.

When a colleague mentioned the phenomenon of early graduates during a dinner, we all thought he was referring to young prodigies who had managed to finish their studies in record time. In reality, early graduates are not prodigies, but rather individuals who, thanks to agreements stipulated by the institutions where they work or the professional associations to which they belong, were able to enrol directly in the second or third year of their degree programme. (p. 187)

I am sure that we should not be elitist. But the idea that because those who are in power now are not doing a good job, they can be replaced by anyone else because they are all the same, is a dangerous idea for the construction of a society. The idea that money is seen as a symbol of sin, that any step away from poverty or simplicity is a step away from purity, is a very dangerous idea.

La verità esiste, ma non possiamo mai sapere se è quella che stiamo dicendo noi.

Il pragmatismo ti aiuta a raggiungere gli scopi che ti sei prefisso, però te li fa anche dimenticare.

Che cosa è il populismo? In politica è la tendenza di un soggetto a rivolgersi direttamente a un non meglio identificato «popolo», da lui considerato portatore di valori positivi in contrasto a una non meglio identificata «élite» (da noi diremmo «la casta», o «i poteri forti», «le sinistre», talvolta «le destre», spesso «i politici»...) portatrice di valori negativi. Dal punto di vista del populista il popolo è ovviamente quello che è d'accordo con le sue idee, che le acclama, che non le discute. Fuori dal popolo, e mosso da intenti perniciosi, è chi alle idee del leader non si accoda, o che comunque in qualche modo le contrasta o falsifica, o delle quali semplicemente dubita.

With Ballarò, I learned that there will always be someone who will describe what you do in a negative way. They say that video goes to your head. For me, it was a humbling experience.

It is difficult to propose a reform of the university system that guarantees results. The idea that competitive examinations ensure excellent professors for all universities certainly does not seem to work. The reality is that if a department wants to hire an incompetent candidate, it will always manage to do so, regardless of the complex rules of public competitions. (p. 163)

The religious person proclaims the truth, the journalist seeks it. And if he believes he has found it, he must verify it, not trust it immediately. The thread of truth is a necessity for the journalist who reports: seeking the reason behind things means concentrating, analysing, studying, and giving importance to the words one is using.

Pragmatism helps you achieve your goals, but it also makes you forget them.

I prepare thoroughly and set myself a goal. And I usually manage to achieve it.

The absolute lack of trust we have in the words and power of school to solve problems is condemning this country to decline. We have now shifted our focus from what can be given in terms of skills to what can be spent in terms of money: this is causing infinite damage to society, which is becoming permeated with the certainty that money can solve everything.

Are Italian professors in better shape than others? What is the secret to their longevity? After all, being a professor cannot be easy: continuous lectures, updating, theses to supervise, research to coordinate and articles to publish, all without stopping, otherwise the international community will cut you off. It cannot be easy to be a professor, unless you find someone to do all these things for you. (p. 90)