Quotes from Jeremias Gotthelf

Hard by the church stood the public house; so often the two are closely conjoined, honorably sharing both joys and sorrows.

All had suddenly lost their taste for vainglory and pride, they consigned these vices to the lowest circle of hell and would scarcely have believed even God had He assured them that just days before they themselves had ignominiously flaunted them; they were pious once more, wearing their meanest clothes and holding their old, despised rosaries in their hands, altogether convinced that they had always been like this, and if God Himself was not convinced, it was not for their want of trying.

Christine always wanted to know what was afoot, and any matter on which she was prevented from giving her opinion she took to be going badly.

For where belief dwells, the spider may not stir, neither by day nor by night.

Zum allgemeinen Besten, wie sie meinten, den Teufel zu brauchen, hatte keiner sich gescheut, aber persönliche Bekanntschaft mit ihm zu machen, begehrte keiner.

Then the green man's face grew even blacker, the red beard so red it seemed to crackle and sparkle like fir twigs on the fire; the mouth contracted to an arrow-like point before it opened to inquire in the sweetest, gentlest tones.

Usually the knights would build their castles above a road, just as inns are now built beside the road, the better to plunder the people going past, though admittedly in different ways.

Where there is great pride or great wealth, men soon come to believe that their appetites are their wisdom.

spesso l'uomo non sa che compie l'estremo cammino; se lo sapesse, non farebbe quel cammino, prenderebbe un'altra strada.

They had no thought for the meaning of Christmas and had planned to have a wildly merry time.