Sciascia Leonardo — The Day of the Owl [461]

‘Truth is at the bottom of a well: look into it and you see the sun or the moon; but if you throw yourself in, there’s no more sun or moon: just truth.’ … ‘You have helped many a man to find truth at the bottom of a well,’ said the captain. — Sciascia Leonardo, The Day of the Owl, 461

Note

The proverb-as-philosophy exchange: Don Mariano’s image of truth as death at the bottom of a well, turned by the captain into an accusation. The force of the response depends on the proverb’s double meaning — insight and annihilation in one image.