A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense, but which, once thought over, reveals a truth.
In Quincas Borba
The greatest sin, after the sin, is the publication of the sin
Calling publicity "the greatest sin, after the sin" sounds strange, but it reveals Carlos Maria's drawing-room morality: what weighs is not the act but public appearance.
Chapters XXIX to XL: Strawberries, Moonlight, and Rubião's Declaration, Carlos Maria
They balanced, one without the other, both whole
Chapters CXLVIII to CLIX: The Delirium in Sofia's Coupé, the narrator
If you have only laughter, laugh! It is all the same.
Chapters CLXXXII to CCI: Madness, Abandonment, and Rubião's Death, the narrator
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