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Dario Fo Quotes

Powerful Dario Fo for Daily Growth

About Dario Fo

Dario Fo (March 24, 1926 – October 13, 2016) was an Italian playwright, actor, and mime, who was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997. Born in San Giuseppe Jaccano, a small village near Como, Italy, Fo was raised in a politically active family. His father, Angelo Fo, was an anti-fascist activist and served as mayor of the village after World War II. Fo began his career as a mime performer in 1948, touring with various companies across Europe. In 1956, he founded the experimental theater company Piccolo Teatro in Milan, where he honed his skills as a playwright and actor. Fo's works often combined political satire, slapstick humor, and an emphasis on social justice, reflecting his left-wing ideologies. One of Fo's most influential works was "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" (1970), a farcical play that critiques the Italian justice system. The play became an international sensation and solidified Fo's reputation as a fearless satirist. Other notable works include "Mistero Buffo," a series of biblical parodies, and "Can't Pay? Won't Pay!", a comedy about the struggle of ordinary people against rising prices and government austerity. In 1997, Dario Fo was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his profoundly comic theatre, which, in the words of the Italian commedia dell'arte tradition, gives equal voice to the oppressed and to the powerful, the full range of human emotions, the carnivalesque and the grotesque." Fo continued to write and perform until his death in 2016. His works remain relevant today, providing a biting commentary on politics, power, and social justice.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The Fable is the shortest and most effective means of educating and denouncing."

Dario Fo's quote emphasizes that fables, due to their brevity and simplicity, can be highly impactful in both education and condemnation of societal ills. He suggests that the power of a well-crafted fable lies in its ability to communicate complex ideas or moral lessons succinctly and effectively, making them memorable and influential. Essentially, Fo argues that fables serve as potent tools for social commentary and enlightenment by encapsulating truths about human behavior and societal issues within engaging narratives.

"Truth is a pathless land: man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, or dogma, priest or ritual; not by imitation, nor following in the footsteps of others, or under tight discipline; one must find it oneself, with total reliance on one's self."

Dario Fo emphasizes that truth is a deeply personal journey, not something to be found through adherence to established organizations, beliefs, or dogmas. He suggests that the pursuit of truth requires self-reliance, introspection, and individual understanding rather than blindly following established paths or traditions. This quote encourages us to question, think critically, and discover truth for ourselves, fostering an environment of intellectual curiosity and growth.

"The artist is a demiurge, a creator who shapes reality according to his fantasy and will."

This quote suggests that an artist has the power to mold and shape reality through their creative expression and imagination. The term "demiurge" refers to a powerful creator figure in ancient Greek philosophy. Here, Fo is implying that artists have a similar role in shaping the world around them by transforming their ideas, fantasies, and will into tangible works of art, thereby influencing our collective understanding and experience of reality. Essentially, he is stating that the artist's vision and creations can bring new dimensions to existence.

"We are all born innocent, only to be corrupted by others."

Dario Fo's quote suggests that human nature is inherently good, but we are influenced and shaped by our interactions with others, often towards less virtuous behaviors or beliefs. This quote underscores the importance of understanding how our relationships and experiences can impact our moral compass and encourages reflection on the role we play in shaping each other's lives.

"A good farce must have a political subtext."

Dario Fo's quote emphasizes that a successful farce, a genre known for its humor and absurdity, should carry a deeper, underlying social or political commentary. This means that while the story may be comical on the surface, it also serves to critique, satirize, or provoke thought about contemporary societal issues or power structures. The political subtext adds depth and relevance, making the farce more than just entertainment but also a tool for social critique and reflection.

It's not bad at all, getting a Nobel and making so many old fossils explode with rage.

- Dario Fo

Bad, Making, Getting, Fossils

Nevertheless, the mode, the justification, and all the games involved in this war were dishonest.

- Dario Fo

Mode, Nevertheless, Involved, Dishonest

It is from him, from Beolco Ruzzante, that I've learned to free myself from conventional literary writing and to express myself with words that you can chew, with unusual sounds, with various techniques of rhythm and breathing, even with the rambling nonsense-speech of the 'grammelot.'

- Dario Fo

Him, Express, Literary, Chew

I am the jongleur. I leap and pirouette, and make you laugh. I make fun of those in power, and I show you how puffed up and conceited are the big shots who go around making wars in which we are the ones who get slaughtered. I reveal them for what they are. I pull out the plug, and... pssss... they deflate.

- Dario Fo

Big, Reveal, Show, Slaughtered

In a way, the American side descended to Saddam's level, which happens often in these types of circumstances. That is why the people in Iraq do not accept the current state of affairs.

- Dario Fo

Side, Which, Types, Descended

Culturally, I have always been part of the proletariat. I lived side by side with the sons of glassblowers, fishermen and smugglers. The stories they told were shaper satires about the hypocrisy of authority and the middle classes, the two-facedness of teachers and lawyers and politicians. I was born politicized.

- Dario Fo

Lawyers, Been, Part, Fishermen

I'm an idiot who won the Literature Nobel Prize.

- Dario Fo

Idiot, Literature, Won, Nobel Prize

Laughter does not please the mighty.

- Dario Fo

Laughter, Please, Does, Mighty

Comedy makes the subversion of the existing state of affairs possible.

- Dario Fo

Comedy, Existing, Subversion, Affairs

Every time you touch those who have power over the media, they seek to stop you.

- Dario Fo

Stop, Touch, Over, Every Time

All forms of power - even based on the consensus of the democratic system - react when they are being attacked, or when those who exercise power become a target.

- Dario Fo

Exercise, React, Based, Forms

We thought the church had withdrawn from interfering in Italian politics... but instead there is a terrible resurgence. These are ugly signs for freedom of expression.

- Dario Fo

Politics, Resurgence, Interfering

It is extremely dangerous to talk about limits or borders. It is vital, instead, that we remain completely open, that we are always involved, and that we aim to contribute personally in social events.

- Dario Fo

Aim, Always, Borders, Limits

We had extremely democratic town councils in medieval Italy which knew the value of working together, and every now and then, down the centuries, this spirit returns.

- Dario Fo

Town, Which, Centuries, Working Together

For some time it's been my habit to use images when preparing a speech: rather than write it down, I illustrate it.

- Dario Fo

Some, Been, Images, Preparing

Real socialism is inside man. It wasn't born with Marx. It was in the communes of Italy in the Middle Ages. You can't say it is finished.

- Dario Fo

Born, Middle, Marx, Socialism

Even before Europe was united in an economic level or was conceived at the level of economic interests and trade, it was culture that united all the countries of Europe. The arts, literature, music are the connecting link of Europe.

- Dario Fo

United, Level, Before, Connecting

Our homeland is the whole world. Our law is liberty. We have but one thought, revolution in our hearts.

- Dario Fo

Law, Thought, World, Hearts

I felt like an extraordinary hero. I was only five or six and I had the whole of life in my hands. Even if I had been driving the carriage of the sun I could not have felt any better.

- Dario Fo

Hands, Been, Six, Five

Life has always treated me well. I therefore won't mind leaving it behind.

- Dario Fo

Mind, Always, Treated, Leaving

Although, this is often used with negative connotations, I see ideology as an inherent part of culture.

- Dario Fo

I See, Part, Ideology, Inherent

At the root of everything I write is tragedy.

- Dario Fo

Tragedy, Everything, I Write, Root

It is hard for power to enjoy or incorporate humour and satire in its system of control.

- Dario Fo

Enjoy, Control, System, Humour

Satire can always be found everywhere. A people without love for satire is a dead people.

- Dario Fo

Love, Always, Found, Everywhere

I'm not afraid of death, but I'm not courting it, either. If you have lived well, it is the fair conclusion to life.

- Dario Fo

Death, Conclusion, Either, Courting

When I was a boy, unconsciously, spontaneously I learned the art of telling ironic stories.

- Dario Fo

Art, Stories, Telling, Spontaneously

A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time has no relevance.

- Dario Fo

Theatre, Literature, Does, Speak

Every artistic expression is either influenced by or adds something to politics.

- Dario Fo

Politics, Expression, Either, Adds

With comedy I can search for the profound.

- Dario Fo

Search, Comedy, I Can, Profound

My theater has always been a political battle on the stage.

- Dario Fo

Battle, Always, Been, Theater

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