Walter Benjamin

history written victord

“History is written by the victors.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

history victors

“History is written by the victors.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

writer book poor dissatisfied buy like

“Writers are really people who write books not because they are poor, but because they are dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

document civilization barbarism

“There is no document of civilization that is not at the same time a document of barbarism.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

happy aware self fright

“To be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

good piece writing music architectural textile

“Work on a good piece of writing proceeds on three levels: a musical one, where it is composed; an architectural one, where it is constructed; and finally, a textile one, where it is woven.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

politics aesthetic culminate war

“All efforts to make politics aesthetic culminate in one thing, war.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

ideas objects constellation star

“Ideas are to objects as constellations are to stars"

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

death sanction storyteller authority death

“Death is the sanction of everything the story-teller can tell. He has borrowed his authority from death.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

prose composed built woven

“Work on good prose has three steps: a musical stage when it is composed, an architectonic one when it is built, and a textile one when it is woven.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

human knowledge interpretation

“All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation.”

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

experience generation capitalism natural death

"The experience of our generation:

that capitalism will not die a natural death."

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

tradition oppressed state of emergency rule

"The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the "state of emergency" in which we live is not the exception but the rule."

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

storytelling end epic truth wisdom dying

"The art of storytelling is reaching its end because the epic side of truth, wisdom, is dying out."

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

order balancing act extreme precariousness

"Any order is a balancing act of extreme precariousness."

― Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)