"In Southern California September was not much different from any other month. The weather was clear and bright and there was no rain. According to the newspapers there was a war in Europe, but Jim was not sure what it was all about. Apparently there was a man named Hitler who was German. He had a mustache and  comedians were always imitating him. At every party someone was bound to give an imitation of Hitler making a speech. Then there was an Englishman with a somewhat larger mustache and of course there was Mussolini but he didn't seem to be in the war. For a while it was very exciting, and there were daily headlines. But toward the end of September Jim lost interest in the war because there had been no battles. Also, his days were now occupied teaching tennis to rich men and women who were not very interested in the war neither." Gore Vidal, The City and the Pillar

Vidal tinha 21 anos ou menos quando escreveu esta passagem magnífica. Quase todos os desportistas ficam para a História por feitos realizados antes dos 30 anos. Os físicos teóricos atingem o pico aos 35 anos. A partir de certa idade, já ninguém espera muito de nós e a vida seria muito mais tranquila se aceitássemos esse destino. Mas nem todos têm essa opção.