Thomas Mann
writer difficult
“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
solitude original poetry perverse absurd opposite
“Solitude gives birth to the original in us, to beauty unfamiliar and perilous - to poetry. But also, it gives birth to the opposite: to the perverse, the illicit, the absurd.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
tolerance crime evil
“Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
books ourselves pleasure author genius
“In books we never find anything but ourselves. Strangely enough, that always gives us great pleasure, and we say the author is a genius.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
war cowardly escape problem peace
“War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
stupidity cleverness
“There are so many different kinds of stupidity, and cleverness is one of the worst.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
harmful truth useful lie
“A harmful truth is better than a useful lie.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
technology comfort culture
“Technology and comfort - having those, people speak of culture, but do not have it.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
order simplification mastery subject
“Order and simplification are the first steps towards mastery of a subject”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
our age needs demands create terror
“…What our age needs, what it demands, what it will create for itself, is—terror.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
opinion survive fight
“Opinions cannot survive if one has no chance to fight for them.”
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
time passage trumpet month year century
"Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols."
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
great truth opposite
"A great truth is a truth whose opposite is also a truth."
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
people behavior makes sense goals needs motives
"People's behavior makes sense if you think about it in terms of their goals, needs, and motives."
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
please public delineation intellect passionate enthrall problem
"What pleases the public is lively and vivid delineation which makes no demands on the intellect; but passionate and absolutist youth can only be enthralled by a problem."
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
think long-term
"I don't think anyone is thinking long-term now."
― Thomas Mann (1875-1955)