Bertolt Brecht

"Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon."

"Sin is what is new, strong, surprising, strange. The theatre must take an interest in sin if the young are to be able to go there."

"Some party hack decreed that the peoplehad lost the government's confidenceand could only regain it with redoubled effort. If that is the case, would it not be be simpler,If the government simply dissolved the people And elected another?"

"The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events. He doesn’t know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics. The imbecile doesn’t know that, from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies."

"We attacked a foreign people and treated them like rebels. As you know, it's all right to treat barbarians barbarically. It's the desire to be barbaric that makes governments call their enemies barbarians."

"Those who are weak don't fight. Those who are stronger might fightfor an hour. Those who are stronger still might fightfor many years. The strongest fighttheir whole life. They are the indispensable ones."

"We're not responsible, he thought. This planet is a temporary affair. It's whizzing with all kinds of other ones, a whole range of planetary stuff, toward a star in the Milky Way. On that kind of a planet we're not responsible, he thought."

"Why be a man when you can be a success."

"People who understand everything get no stories."

"Corpses sour you. They are bad for objectivity."

"The compassion of the oppressed for the oppressed is indispensable. It is the world's one hope."

"Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is at their heels."

"Natürlich muss die Wahrheit im Kampf mit der Unwahrheit geschrieben werden und sie darf nicht etwas Allgemeines, Hohes, Vieldeutiges sein. Von dieser allgemeinen, hohen, vieldeutigen Art ist ja gerade die Unwahrheit. Wenn von einem gesagt wird, er hat die Wahrheit gesagt, so haben zunächst einige oder viele oder einer etwas anderes gesagt, eine Lüge oder etwas Allgemeines, aber er hat die Wahrheit gesagt, etwas Praktisches, Tatsächliches, Unleugbares, das, um was es sich handelte."

"The human race tends to remember the abuses to which it has been subjected rather than the endearments. What's left of kisses? Wounds, however, leave scars."