Quotes by Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht

German - Austrian writer

Lived from: 1898 - 1956

Category: Writers (Contemporary) Country: FlagGermany

Born: 10 february 1898 Died: 14 august 1956

  • On golden chairs Sitting at ease, you paid for the songs which we chanted To those less lucky. You paid us for drying their tears And for comforting all those whom you had wounded.
  • The plum tree in the yard's so small It's hardly like a tree at all. Yet there it is, railed round To keep it safe and sound. The poor thing can't grow any more Though if it could it would for sure. There's nothing to be done It gets too little sun.

Quotes 1 till 20 of 72.

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  • The world of knowledge takes a crazy turn when teachers themselves are taught to learn.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Mixing one's wines may be a mistake, but old and new wisdom mix admirably.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Right is its own defense.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • A man who sees another man on the street corner with only a stump for an arm will be so shocked the first time he'll give him sixpence. But the second time it'll only be a three penny bit. And if he sees him a third time, he'll have him cold-bloodedly handed over to the police.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • A man who strains himself on the stage is bound, if he is any good, to strain all the people sitting in the stalls.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • And I always thought: the very simplest words
    Must be enough. When I say what things are like
    Everyone's heart must be torn to shreds.
    That you'll go down if you don't stand up for yourself
    Surely you see that.
    Poems, 1913-1956 And I always thought [Und ich dachte immer] (c. 19
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • And the shark he has his teeth and
    There they are for all to see
    And Macheath he has his knife but
    No one knows where it may be.
    The Threepenny Opera The Moritat of Mackie the Knife in Prologue, p. 3
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • And when she was finished they laid her in earth
    Flowers growing, butterflies juggling over her...
    She, so light, barely pressed the earth down
    How much pain it took to make her as light as that!
    Poems, 1913-1956 To my mother [Meiner Mutter] (May 1920), trans. Jo
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  • Andrea: Unhappy is the land that breeds no hero.
    Galileo: No, Andrea: Unhappy is the land that needs a hero.
    Life of Galileo Scene 12, p. 115
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Don't be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Don't tell me peace has broken out, when I've just bought some new supplies.
    Mother Courage sc. 8
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Events cast long shadows before.
    One such event would be a war.
    But how are shadows to be seen
    When total darkness fills the screen?
    Poems, 1913-1956 Alphabet [Alfabet] from Five Childrens Songs (1934
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • Every day, to earn my daily bread
    I go to the market where lies are bought
    Hopefully
    I take up my place among the sellers.
    Poems, 1913-1956 Hollywood (1942)
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • For once you must try not to shirk the facts: mankind is kept alive by bestial acts.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • For the task assigned them
    Men aren't smart enough or sly
    Any rogue can blind them
    With a clever lie.
    The Threepenny Opera Polly Peachum, in The Song of the Futility of All
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • For the villainy of the world is great, and a man has to run his legs off to keep them from being stolen out fom underneath him.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • From the cradle to the coffin underwear comes first.
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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  • General, man is very useful.
    He can fly and he can kill.
    But he has one defect:
    He can think.
    Poems, 1913-1956
    ― Bertolt Brecht
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Questions and Answers

What are the most famous quotes from Bertolt Brecht?

The two most famous quotes from Bertolt Brecht are:

  • "The world of knowledge takes a crazy turn when teachers themselves are taught to learn."
  • "Mixing one's wines may be a mistake, but old and new wisdom mix admirably."

When did Bertolt Brecht live?

Bertolt Brecht was born in 1898 and died in the year 1956.