"A poem is good until one knows by whom it is."
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Quote collection
Karl Kraus quotes (page 13 of 14)
263 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"The blind won't admit that I have eyes in my head, and the deaf say that I'm dumb."
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"Love thy neighbor as thyself. Because each of us is his own neighbor."
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"Let language be the divining rod that finds the sources of thought."
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"I have to do this, as long as it is at all possible; for if those who are obliged to look after commas had always made sure they were in the right place, then Shanghai would not be burning."
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"The agitator seizes the word. The artist is seized by it."
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"There is a cultural taste which tries very hard to get rid of the lice in a fur coat. There is another which tolerates the lice and thinks the coat can be worn with them in it. And finally there is a taste which regards the lice as the most important thing about the coat and consequently places the coat at the lice's disposal."
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"Sorrento, August. For two weeks now I haven't heard a German word or understood an Italian one. This way one can manage to live with people; everything goes like clockwork and no irksome misunderstanding can arise."
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"Heinrich Heine so loosened the corsets of the German language that today every little salesman can fondle her breasts."
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"A great deal of learning can be packed into an empty head."
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"A plagiarist should be made to copy the author a hundred times."
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"Most critics write critiques which are by the authors they write critiques about. That would not be so bad, but then most authorswrite works which are by the critics who write critiques about them."
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"In a hollow head there is much room for knowledge."
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"To be human is erroneous."
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"If you wish to form a clear judgment on your friends, consult your dreams."
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"In a well-run mental household there ought to be a thorough cleaning at the threshold of consciousness a few times a year."
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"In case of doubt, decide in favor of what is correct."
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"It is a mystery to me how a theologian can be praised for having brought himself to disbelieve dogmas. I've always thought that those who have brought themselves to believe in dogmas merit the true recognition owing a heroic deed."
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"In the theater one must sit in such a way that one sees the audience as a dark mass. Then it cannot bother one more than it does an actor. Nothing is more disturbing than being able to distinguish individuals in the crowd."
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"Satire that the censor understands is rightly censored."
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