Brazil

This article is about the South American country. For the 1985 film, seeBrazil (film).

Brazil has rediscovered itself, and this rediscovery is being expressed in its people's enthusiasm and their desire to mobilize to face the huge problems that lie ahead of us. ~Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

In Brazil we have a saying, 'You're married, but you're not dead'. ~Izabel Goulart

Brazilis the largestcountryinSouth America,as well as the largestPortuguese-speaking country in the world.

Arranged alphabetically by author or source:
A·B·C·D·E·F·G·H·I·J·K·L·M·N·O·P·Q·R·S·T·U·V·W·X·Y·Z·See also·External links

Quotes

Brazil is bigger than Europe, wilder than Africa, and weirder than Baffin Land. ~Lawrence Durrell

Brazil, an intense dream. A vivid ray of love and hope descends to earth. ~Osório Duque-Estrada

It is a subject for congratulation that the great Empire of Brazil has taken the initiatory step toward the abolition ofslavery.Our relations with that Empire, always cordial, will naturally be made more so by this act. ~Ulysses S. Grant

A

• The persistence into thetwentieth centuryof a specific institutional pattern inimical to growth inMexicoandLatin Americais well illustrated by the fact that, just as in thenineteenth century,the pattern generated economic stagnation and political instability, civil wars andcoups,as groups struggled for the benefits of power.Díazfinally lost power to revolutionary forces in 1910. TheMexican Revolutionwas followed by others inBoliviain1952,Cubain1959,andNicaraguain1979.Meanwhile, sustained civil wars raged inColombia,El Salvador,Guatemala,andPeru.Expropriation or the threat of expropriation of assets continued apace, with massagrarian reforms(or attempted reforms) inBolivia,Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Guatemala,Peru,andVenezuela.Revolutions,expropriations, and political instability came along with military governments and various types ofdictatorships.Though there was also a gradual drift toward greaterpolitical rights,it was only in the 1990s that most Latin American countriesbecame democracies,and even then they remain mired in instability.
  • Daron AcemogluandJames A. Robinson,Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Poverty, and Prosperity(2012)

B

• We must not forget that the world needs to be fed.FranceandGermany,for example, use more than 50% of their territories foragriculture,while Brazil only uses 8% of its land forfoodproduction. 61% of our territory is preserved! Our policy is zero tolerance forcrime,includingenvironmental crimes.I reiterate that any initiative to help or support the preservation of theAmazon rainforest,or other biomes, must be treated in full respect of Braziliansovereignty.We also reject attempts to instrumentalize environmental issues orindigenouspolicy in favor of foreign political and economic interests, especially those disguised as good intentions. We are ready to harness our full potential sustainably through partnerships and added value.
  • Jair Bolsonaro,Speech at the 74th UN General Assembly. Statement by Mr. Jair Messias Bolsonaro, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil. United Nations PaperSmart (24 September 2019).
• Brazil is safer and more welcoming today. We have just extended visa exemptions to countries such as theUnited States,Japan,AustraliaandCanada,and we are currently considering the adoption of similar measures forChinaandIndia,among others. With more safety and convenience, we want everyone to be able to visit Brazil, and particularly our Amazon rainforest, with all its vastness and natural beauty. The Amazon is not being destroyed nor consumed by fire, as the media is falsely portraying. Each one of you may check what I am saying. Do not hesitate to visit Brazil. It is way different than the country portrayed in manynewspapersandtelevisionshows.
  • Jair Bolsonaro,Speech at the 74th UN General Assembly. Statement by Mr. Jair Messias Bolsonaro, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil. United Nations PaperSmart (24 September 2019).

C

• I've been impressed with the greatness of Brazil. I've seen the compatibility between your own people and ours—the origins of your country; the struggle forfreedomagainstcolonial rule;the courage, the tenacity, the dedication that was required in our country and yours to explore new frontiers, to carve out for ourselves a better life, a greater life, and a position of leadership throughout the whole world.
  • Jimmy Carter;Brasilia, Brazil Remarks Before the Brazilian Congress Online,The American Presidency Project; 30 March 1978

• Inflationis bad forgrowth—this has become one of the most widely acceptedeconomicnostrums of our age. But see how you feel about it after digesting the following piece of information.
  During the1960sand the1970s,Brazil's average inflation rate was 42% a year. Despite this, Brazil was one of the fastest growing economies in the world for those two decades—itsper capitaincome grew at 4.5% a year during this period. In contrast, between 1996 and 2005, during which time Brazil embraced theneo-liberalorthodoxy, especially in relation tomacroeconomicpolicy, its inflation rate averaged a much lower 7.1% a year. But during this period,per capitaincome in Brazil grew at only 1.3% a year.
  If you are not entirely persuaded by the Brazilian case—understandable, given thathyperinflationwent side by side with low growth in the 1980s and the early 1990s—how about this? During its 'miracle' years, when its economy was growing at 7% a year in per capita terms,Koreahad inflation rates close to 20%-17.4% in the 1960s and 19.8% in the 1970s. These were rates higher than those found in severalLatin Americancountries... Are you still convinced that inflation is incompatible with economic success?
  • Ha-Joon Chang,Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism(2008), Ch. 7: 'Mission impossible?; Can financial prudence go too far?',There is inflation and there is inflation,p. 149

• Brazil is my way to see the world. Being born in that country means: "you don't have a wall separating the physical reality from the magical reality."
  • Paulo Coelho,"Paulo Coelho: 'Today we are proud of being Brazilians'".CNN Interview, www.cnn.com. August 31, 2010.

• “I want to find out who is supplying items to agovernmentagency. Is there an easy way to find out?”
  Thelibrarianfolded his handkerchief into a square on his palm before he answered.
  “This is Brazil. There is no easy way to find out anything.”
  • Imraan Coovadia,A Spy in Time(2018),ISBN 978-1947856561,p. 154

D

• An utterhumiliationfor Brazil, just got worse!... A devastated Brazil; a devastated nation.
  • Ian Darke,Brazil v. Germany(8 July 2014), 2014 FIFA World Cup.

• I've been actually visiting Brazil frequently for the last period, and Brazil is now on the cusp of some major breakthroughs with respect toracism.I think that they have the opportunity to choose whether to follow the example of theUSandSouth Africa
  • Angela Davis,Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement(2015)

• Brazil, an intense dream. A vivid ray of love and hope descends to earth.
  • Osório Duque-Estrada,"Brazilian National Anthem"(1909)

• Brazil is bigger thanEurope,wilder thanAfrica,and weirder thanBaffin Land.
  • Lawrence Durrell,Letter toHenry Miller,December 1948. InDurrell-Miller Letters, 1935-1980,p. 227.

G

• What isblackin theUnited Statesis not what'sblack in Brazil.
  • Alan Goodman,as quoted in"Episode One: The Difference Between Us"(2003),Race: The Power of an Illusion, California Newsreel

• In Brazil we have a saying, 'You're married, but you're not dead'.
  • Izabel Goulart,to Conan O'Brien (February 2007) onLate Night with Conan O'Brien(28 February 2007)

• [T]he Brazilian mindset was forged byslaveryabove any other thing.Slaveryexisted, unchallenged, for a long time (about three or four centuries, depending on place) and laid deep roots. These roots are everywhere... So, considering all these impacting aspects, we can say, quite safely, that Brazil is still struggling to levae behing the heavy burden of slavery, that still hinders its progress towards the future.
  • Jose Geraldo Gouvea,"Did Brazil get over slavery?" (March 2015),Quora

• It is a subject for congratulation that the greatEmpire of Brazilhas taken the initiatory step toward theabolition of slavery.Our relations with that Empire, always cordial, will naturally be made more so by this act. It is not too much to hope that the Government of Brazil may hereafter find it for its interest, as well as intrinsically right, to advance toward entire emancipation more rapidly than the present act contemplates.
  • Ulysses S. Grant,State of the Union Address(4 December 1871)

H

• We are also seeing a diffusion of power and competition at thenation statelevel. This competition comes not just fromRussiaand China, but also from emerging countries likeBrazil,India,Indonesia,and the otherASEANstates. These states are also beginning to organize themselves into structures outside of and somewhat in competition.
  • Stephen J. Hadley,"America's Role In The World"(30 October 2014),Lowy Institute

• All ofBrazilis crying right now.
  • Billy Haisley,"All of Brazil is Crying Right Now"(8 July 2014),Screamer

• Every fan inBrazilis crying right now.
  • Bill Hanstock,"Every Fan in Brazil is Crying Right Now"(8 July 2014),SBNation

• Max Payne:This place is great. Really comfortable. I'm just going to get settled in. Time to move on. Get on with my life. Yes, absolutely. Now, like I said, it was a long time ago. Let it go. Seriously. Definitely more my style thanPanamaor Hoboken, I guess. No. If I'm honest, I just got kind of bored of boozing.
  • Max Payne 3(2012), written by Dan Houser

I

• The draft law [whereby is "any alteration, edition, suppression, addition, or adaptation to the texts ofthe Holy Bible"in theState of Pernambucoprohibited] is obviously unconstitutional, as it would asksecularjudgesto determine what books inthe Bibleare part of the canon and what translation is correct or otherwise. However, the very fact that a leading state legislator has proposed it confirms thatreligious intoleranceis a serious problem in Brazil.
  • Massimo Introvigne,"Brazil: Law Introduced in Pernambuco Would Forbid “Altering” the Bible ",Bitter Winter(June 10, 2023)

J

• Like manycommoditydependent emerging markets, Brazil has imploded both economically andinvestment-wise over the past couple of years. I warned investors to bail out of the country back in September of 2012 as it was evident a huge bubble had formed. Things have become worse than I could have imagined and, given the state of things down south, it is hard to imagine things improving in 2016. The only question investors should be asking is, do the problems in Brazil and other emerging markets have the potential to cause problems here in 2016?
  • Bret Jensen,"Bye, Bye Brazil?"(22 December 2015),Seeking Alpha

• Brazil, I know is the possessor of a fine tradition of politicalfreedomand stability, and of social andreligious tolerance.It also has a rich cultural heritage, great natural resources, an already very substantial industrial base and internal market, and a highly talented people. The remarkableprogressmade in the last thirty years, with the creation in Brazil of the greatest industrial center inLatin America,provides solid ground for confidence that all the elements exist for an even more brilliant early future.
  • Lyndon B. Johnson;Exchange of Letters With President Goulart of Brazil Online,The American Presidency Project; 23 December 1963

K

• Violencehas long been a fact of life in Brazil.Amnesty Internationalreports that in 2004 there were 663 killings by officers inSao Paulo state,and 983 inRio de Janeiro State.
  • Steve Kingstone,"Brazilian's death was 'third-world error'"(25 July 2005),BBC News,United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation

L

• Throughout my my career – which began in 1990 right when thepressbecameunionized– the themes have generally been social-political issues:police brutality,state terrorism,corruption,political maneuvers…And not just in Brazil, the themes I tackle looking abroad include war, armed conflicts, and torture. I’ve also done a lot about theBrazilian military dictatorship.
  • Interviewwith Brasilwire (2017)

• Brazil has rediscovered itself, and this rediscovery is being expressed in its people's enthusiasm and their desire to mobilize to face the huge problems that lie ahead of us.
  • Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,'Dialogue with the President of Brazil on Global Governance' at the 'Annual Meeting 2003' of the World Economic Forum, January 26, 2003.

M

• Here in Brazil it's common for thepoliceto act violently, especially againstpoorandblack people.
  • Maria Luisa Mendonca,as quoted in"Brazilian's death was 'third-world error'"(25 July 2005), by Steve Kingstone,BBC News,United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation

• What we are told of theinhabitants of Brazil,that they never die but of old age, is attributed to the tranquility and serenity of their climate; I rather attribute it to the tranquility and serenity of theirsouls,which are free from allpassion,thought,or any absorbing and unpleasant labors. Those people spend their lives in an admirable simplicity and ignorance, without letters, withoutlaw,withoutking,without any manner ofreligion.
  • Michel de Montaigne,The Essays Of Montaigne,Volume I, p. 486.

N

• Slavery will remain for a long time as the chief national characteristic of Brazil. It spread throughout our vast lonely lands a huge softness [of mores]; its contact was the first to shape the virgin nature of the country, and it was the one recorded there. It [slavery] peopled it [Brazil] like a living natural religion, with its myths, legends and spells.
  • Joaquim Nabuco,as quoted in"Did Brazil get over slavery?"(March 2015), by Jose Geraldo Gouvea,Quora

• One of the biggest threats tobiodiversityis the continued loss of virgin forests. Every year, an area offorestcorresponding to the size ofHungarydisappears. However, the rate of deforestation has fallen by 40 per cent since the 1990s, according to the FAO. Deforestation has ceased in rich countries. In theUnited StatesandEuropeforested areas are increasing. InChinaandIndia,too, forests are now growing, suggesting thatrising populationsand economies do not have to cause overexploitation. Were it not for deforestation in seven countries – Brazil,Paraguay,Angola,Congo,Tanzania,IndonesiaandMyanmar– the world’s forests would have grown in the 2010s. That is not much of a comfort, given the unique natural values lost with those forests. But it shows that the notion that we are experiencing a relentless global deforestation does not hold.
  • Johan Norberg,The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World(2023)

R

• By "Mongrel Complex" I mean the inferiority in which Brazilians put themselves, voluntarily, in comparison to the rest of the world. Brazilians are the reverseNarcissus,who spit in their own image. Here is the truth: we can't find personal or historical pretexts for self-esteem.
  • Nelson Rodrigues,as quoted in"O Complexo de Inferioridade do Brasileiro"(2007), by Humberto Mariotti,Instituto de Pesquisa BSP

• Writing in the 1950s, the playwrightNelson Rodriguessaw his countrymen as afflicted with a sense of inferiority, and he coined a phrase thatBraziliansnow use to describe it: "the mongrel complex". Brazil has always aspired to be taken seriously as a world power by the heavyweights, and so it pains Brazilians that world leaders could confuse their country withBolivia,asRonald Reaganonce did, or dismiss a nation so large – it has 180 million people – as "not a serious country", asCharles de Gaulledid.
  • Larry Rohter,"If Brazil Wants to Scare the World, It's Succeeding"(16 November 2007),The New York Times

S

• Nobody would want to go in for a partnership with Brazil.
  • Guy Scott,interview with David Smith(2013)

T

• The history of Brazil in many respects parallelsthat of the United States.Both are nations which have carvedcivilizationsout of thewilderness.Both have been endowed with great natural resources and both have been developed by people whose dominant motive isfreedom.
  • Harry S. Truman;Remarks to the National Congress of Brazil,The American Presidency Project; 5 September 1947

Z

• Whereas our old world is more than ever ruled by the insane attempt to breed people racially pure, like race-horses and dogs, the Brazilian nation for centuries has been built upon the principle of a free and unsuppressed miscegenation… It is moving to see children of all colours –chocolate,milk,andcoffee– come out of theirschoolsarm-in-arm… There is no colour-bar, nosegregation,no arrogant classification… for who here would boast of absolute racial purity?
  • Stefan Zweig,Brazil: Land of the Future(1941), p. 8. As quoted in"Zweig: The writer who dreamed of a world without borders",BBC, 22nd February 2017.

See also

• Americas
• Flag of Brazil

External links

• Encyclopedic article onBrazilon Wikipedia
• The dictionary definition ofBrazilon Wiktionary
• Works related toPortal:Brazilon Wikisource
• Braziltravel guide from Wikivoyage