1
Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral.
Von Bertolt Brecht
aus der Dreigroschenoper (1928)
4
Alles gerettet Majestät!
Von the Chief of police to Kaiser Franz Joseph of Austria
This initial assessment of the outcome of a fire in Vienna's Ringtheater turned out to have been overly optimitisic.
A keen- to-please chief of police reputedly issued this report
to Austria's emperor Franz Joseph, after the outbreak of the fire in December 1881. In fact, the Ringtheater was burned to the ground and 386 opera-goers to Hoffmanns Erzählungen tragically died as a result.
The quote is now used to show-up 'half-truths' designed entirely to please the target audience, rather than to convey reality.
86
Die Politik ist die Lehre vom Möglichen.
Politics is the art of the possible.
Von Otto von Bismarck
87
Wer kämpft, kann verlieren, wer nicht kämpft, hat schon verloren.
Who fights might lose. Who doesn´t fight has lost already.
Von Bertolt Brecht
In fact the quote is probably a paraphrased version of Brecht's 1934 „Koloman Wallisch Kantate“ which was never completed. The complete quote is:
"Wer zu Hause bleibt, wenn der Kampf beginnt / Und lässt andere kämpfen für seine Sache
Der muss sich vorsehen; denn
Wer den Kampf nicht geteilt hat
Der wird teilen die Niederlage.
Nicht einmal den Kampf vermeidet
Wer den Kampf vermeiden will; denn
Es wird kämpfen für die Sache des Feinds
Wer für seine Sache nicht gekämpft hat."
42
Auch aus Steinen, die einem in den Weg gelegt werden, kann man Schönes bauen.
Even from stones placed in one's path, one can build something beautiful.
Von attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
43
Wer eine Jogginghose trägt, hat die Kontrolle über sein Leben verloren.
Whoever wears sweatpants has lost control of his life.
Von Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer
85
Muss es sein? Es muss sein!
Must it be? It must be!
Von Ludwig van Beethoven
These are the words that he wrote in the epigraph of the score of his 16th string quartet, Op. 135, in F major.
39
Der Ball ist rund. Das Spiel dauert 90 Minuten.
The ball is round and the game lasts 90 minutes.
Von Sepp Herberger
It is considered a deceivingly simple, yet complete, summary of what the game of football is essentially about. Herberger was a famous German player, manager and national team coach who won the 1954 World Cup with West Germany.
19
Zeig mir einen gesunden Menschen und ich werde ihn für dich heilen.
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.
Von Carl Gustav Jung
89
Endlich fortissimo!
At last, fortissimo!
Von Gustav Mahler, 19th Century Austrian compose
The famous composer reputedly said this while visiting Niagara Falls and referring to the loud rush of the water as a ‘fortissimo’ - which is a music passage marked to be played very loudly.
36
Gott würfelt nicht!
God does not play dice with the universe.
Von Albert Einstein
37
Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker.
What does not kill me, makes me stronger.
Von Friedrich Nietzsche
20
Kein Baum, so heißt es, kann zum Himmel wachsen, wenn seine Wurzeln nicht bis zur Hölle reichen.
No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.
Von Carl Gustav Jung
88
In Deutschland ist die höchste Form der Anerkennung der Neid.
In Germany the greatest form of acknowledgement is envy.
Von Arthur Schopenhauer
38
Zwei Dinge sind unendlich, das Universum und die menschliche Dummheit, aber bei dem Universum bin ich mir noch nicht ganz sicher.
Only two things are truly infinite, the Universe and human stupidity, although I'm not sure yet regarding the Universe.
Von attributed to Albert Einstein
90
den gleich verwerflichen missbrauch groszer buchstaben für das substantivum, der unserer pedantischen unart gipfel heißsen kann, habe ich […] abgeschüttelt.
I have shaken off the equally reprehensible misuse of capital letters for the substantive, which can be called the pinnacle of our pedantic bad manners.
Von Jakob Grimm
Co-author of Grimm’s fairy tales, was not a big fan of the capitalisation of German nouns! Despite his objections (this quote is from 1854) capitals have survived in German whilst disappearing in other languages. German and Luxembourgish are the only languages in the world to capitalise nouns, although it was once common practice in many Germanic languages, such as Danish, Swedish and English (the United States Constitution of 1787 is a well-known example).
41
Phantasie ist wichtiger als Wissen, denn Wissen ist begrenzt.
Fantasy is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited.
Von Albert Einstein
60
Wer Visionen hat, soll zum Arzt gehen.
Those who have visions should go and see a doctor..
Von Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1974–1982)