"Each of us, even the lowliest and most insignificant among us, was uprooted from his innermost existence by the almost constant volcanic upheavals visited upon our European soil and, as one of countless human beings, I can't claim any special place for myself except that, as an Austrian, a Jew, writer, humanist and pacifist, I have always been precisely in those places where the effects of the thrusts were most violent."

3 likes

Source: Stefan Zweig (1943). “The World of Yesterday: An Autobiography”, N.Y. : Viking Press

About the author

Stefan Zweig

Writer

Stefan Zweig was an Austrian writer known for his psychological insight and exploration of human emotions, particularly in works like 'The World of Yesterday.'

All quotes by Stefan Zweig →

Same author

More quotes by Stefan Zweig

See all →
Stefan Zweig Writer

"In history as in human life, regret does not bring back a lost moment and a thousand years will not recover something lost in a single hour."

Read quote
Stefan Zweig Writer

"Time to leave now, get out of this room, go somewhere, anywhere; sharpen this feeling of happiness and freedom, stretch your limbs, fill your eyes, be awake, wider awake, vividly awake in every sense and every pore."

Read quote
Stefan Zweig Writer

"Freedom is not possible without authority - otherwise it would turn into chaos and authority is not possible without freedom - otherwise it would turn into tyranny."

Read quote