5339 quotes by german authors for you to enjoy

A writer must face up to the test of reality, including political reality, and that can't be done if he keeps his distance. A literary style cultivated like a hothouse plant may show a certain artificial purity, but it won't really be pure. Gunter Grass

Reality Political Plant Pure Face Style Distance Must Purity Writer He Like Test Cultivated His Up Artificial Done May Literary Really Certain Show Including Keeps

Prose, poetry, and drawings stand side by side in a very democratic way in my work. Gunter Grass

Work Side Way Drawings Poetry Prose Democratic Very Stand

For me, writing, drawing, and political activism are three separate pursuits; each has its own intensity. I happen to be especially attuned to and engaged with the society in which I live. Both my writing and my drawing are invariably mixed up with politics, whether I want them to be or not. Gunter Grass

Politics Me Writing Political Three Own Live Society Drawing Invariably Both Pursuits Attuned Mixed Up Intensity Want Happen Whether Which Them Separate Engaged Each Activism

Art is so wonderfully irrational, exuberantly pointless, but necessary all the same. Pointless and yet necessary, that's hard for a puritan to understand. Gunter Grass

Art Puritan Pointless Understand Same Irrational Wonderfully Hard Necessary

It is a wonderful thing in the process of writing when such paper characters are first sketched, and, when one is doing good work, from a certain point in time they come alive and start contradicting the author as well. Gunter Grass

I remember when I was writing 'The Tin Drum,' I had the totally misguided idea of giving Oskar Matzerath a sister, and he just wouldn't have it. There was no space for a sister, yet I had the character of the sister in my head. In fact I used her in later novels, in 'Cat and Mouse' and 'Dog Years,' Tulla Pokriski. Gunter Grass

Character Writing Dog Remember Space Giving Sister Later Totally Fact Cat Misguided Had He Remember When Head Idea Drum Years Tin Mouse Just In Fact Used Novels Her

I've always been surrounded by children - never bothered by their noise. Gunter Grass

Noise Bothered Never Always Been Surrounded Children

The secret of big and revolutionary actions also consists in discovering the tiny step that is simultaneously a strategic step, insofar as it entails additional steps in the direction of a better reality. Gustav Heinemann

Reality Better Big Secret Additional Consists Entails Direction Insofar Step Simultaneously Steps Also Discovering Revolutionary Tiny The Secret Of Strategic Actions

Liberal democracy must finally become the vital element of our society. Gustav Heinemann

Democracy Become Society Liberal Liberal Democracy Our Finally Must Vital Element

War is not the quintessential emergency in which man has to prove himself, as my generation learned at its school desks in the days of the Kaiser; rather, peace is the emergency in which we all have to prove ourselves. Gustav Heinemann

War Man Peace Generation School Ourselves My Generation Emergency Rather Days Himself Learned Prove Quintessential Which

The time has come - and must come - for multilateral conversations about a secure peace in all of Europe. Gustav Heinemann

Time Peace Secure Secure Peace Must About Come Conversations Europe Multilateral

The first thing I see is the obligation to serve peace. Gustav Heinemann

Peace Obligation First See First Thing The First Thing Serve Thing

Not less, but more democracy - that is the demand, that is the great goal that we have to prescribe for ourselves, and especially for our youth. Gustav Heinemann

Great Democracy Youth Our Ourselves More Demand Goal Less Prescribe

Ladies and gentlemen, on the occasion of my election I received many letters from people representing all segments of the population and all professions, especially from the younger generation, linking my inauguration with great - far too great - expectations. Gustav Heinemann

Ladies and gentlemen, I take office at a time in which the world is living in extreme contradictions. Gustav Heinemann

Time World Living Extreme Take Gentlemen Contradictions Office Ladies Which

Everywhere, authority and tradition have to justify themselves in the face of questions. Gustav Heinemann

Face Everywhere Tradition Questions Authority Justify Themselves

Beyond peace, there is no longer any existence possible. Gustav Heinemann

Peace Possible Longer Beyond Existence Any

Our thoughts fly therefore by themselves in this festive hour of our plant community, to the man whom we thank for the ressurection of our Nation: Adolf Hitler, the patron of German labour and German art. Gustav Krupp

Art Thoughts Man Plant Fly Nation Community Our Adolf Hour German Festive Thank Labour Patron Themselves Therefore Whom

To have united the purposes of an entire Nation, is the great historical achievement of the man in whose strong hands our President has placed the fate of our people. Gustav Krupp

Great Achievement Man People Fate Strong Nation President Our Our People Entire Purposes Historical Hands Placed United Whose

Unanimously we will confess and pledge ourselves to stand behind the Fuehrer and his movement today and forever and thereby to be of service to the idea of eternal Germany. Gustav Krupp

Today Service Will Pledge Ourselves Unanimously Idea His Germany Forever Confess Behind Movement Eternal Fuehrer Stand Thereby

We are all proud of having thus contributed to the heretofore magnificent successes of our army. Gustav Krupp

Army Our Having Magnificent Thus Proud Successes

As a result of the World War, this old Germany collapsed. It collapsed in its constitution, in its social order, in its economic structure. Its thinking and feeling changed. Gustav Stresemann

War Constitution World Result Old Feeling Thinking Changed Collapsed Structure Economic Germany Order Social Social Order World War

Quotes by german authors