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.
By Carl Gustav Jung
392
Dumme Gedanken hat jeder, aber der Weise verschweigt sie.
Everyone has stupid thoughts, but the wise keep quiet about them.
By Wilhelm Busch
This quote, said by Wilhelm Busch, the German humorist, provides a great example of a verb in German that simply doesn’t exist in English: schweigen. It means “to keep silent,” and when you add the prefix ver– to it, it becomes “to silence.”
85
Muss es sein? Es muss sein!
Must it be? It must be!
By 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.
1
Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral.
First comes a full stomach, then comes ethics.
By Bertolt Brecht
from the Threepenny Opera (1928)
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.
By attributed to Albert Einstein
4
Alles gerettet Majestät!
All is saved your Majesty!
By 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.
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.
By Carl Gustav Jung
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.
By attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
128
Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.
Those who burn books will in the end burn people.
By Heinrich Heine, German poet
Heine wrote this line in his 1821 play 'Almansor'. It is spoken by the character Almansor, who mourns the burning of the Quran by Christian conquerors in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. Tragically, Heine's words foreshadowed events that would occur over a century later, when the Nazis organised mass book burnings of works by Jewish, communist, and other authors who they perceived as 'threat' to to the regime.
36
Gott würfelt nicht!
God does not play dice with the universe.
By Albert Einstein
389
Es gibt nichts Gutes, außer man tut es.
There is nothing good, if you don’t do it.
By Erich Kästner, author
This quote is from Erich Kästner, a renowned German children's author. Although it may initially seem pessimistic, Kästner is actually emphasising the importance of spreading positivity by sharing the good things in the world, as no one else will do it for you.
391
Liebe ist der Wunsch etwas zu geben, nicht etwas zu erhalten.
Love is the wish to give, not to receive.
By Bertolt Brecht, author
Brecht remains one of the most influential German authors, primarily recognised for his political works that opposed fascist ideas. However, as this quote reveals, he also had a softer side.
37
Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker.
What does not kill me, makes me stronger.
By Friedrich Nietzsche
41
Phantasie ist wichtiger als Wissen, denn Wissen ist begrenzt.
Fantasy is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited.
By Albert Einstein
43
Wer eine Jogginghose trägt, hat die Kontrolle über sein Leben verloren.
Whoever wears sweatpants has lost control of his life.
By Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer
86
Die Politik ist die Lehre vom Möglichen.
Politics is the art of the possible.
By Otto von Bismarck
39
Der Ball ist rund. Das Spiel dauert 90 Minuten.
The ball is round and the game lasts 90 minutes.
By 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.
88
In Deutschland ist die höchste Form der Anerkennung der Neid.
In Germany the greatest form of acknowledgement is envy.
By Arthur Schopenhauer
218
Die Grenzen meiner Sprache bedeuten die Grenzen meiner Welt.
The limits of a man are determined by the limits of his language
By Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein, Austrian philosopher
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein believed that language shapes our experience of the world and enables us to communicate and think about it. This quote comes from one of his most famous pieces of work, 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus', in which he examines the connection between language and reality.
390
Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten.
Nobody is planning to build a wall.
By Walter Ulbricht, GDR leader
In 1961, the increasing number of GDR citizens fleeing to West Berlin prompted some politicians, including Ulbricht, to consider closing the border between East and West Berlin. This quote is ironic as it was made just two months before the Berlin Wall was erected.
89
Endlich fortissimo!
At last, fortissimo!
By 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.
60
Wer Visionen hat, soll zum Arzt gehen.
Those who have visions should go and see a doctor..
By Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1974–1982)
87
Wer kämpft, kann verlieren, wer nicht kämpft, hat schon verloren.
Who fights might lose. Who doesn´t fight has lost already.
By 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."
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.
By 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).