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)