Quotes from Karl Kraus

Quando il sole della cultura è basso, anche i nani hanno l'aspetto di giganti.

Nachdem er sich in der anarchistischen Partei unmöglich gemacht hatte, blieb ihm nichts mehr übrig, als ein nützliches Mitglied der bürgerlichen Gesellschaft zu werden und in die Sozialdemokratie einzutreten.

on Georg Trakl:] it was always inconceivable to me that he could live. His madness wrestled with godly things.

Kindspech ist eben das, womit man auf die Welt kommt.

Miten paljon mies antaisikaan naiselle, jos tämä rakastaisi miestä miehen itsensä vuoksi!

Den Weltmarkt erobern«: Weil Händler so sprachen, mußten Krieger so handeln. Seitdem wird erobert, wenngleich nicht der Weltmarkt.

The trouble with Germans is not that they fire shells, but that they engrave them with quotations from Kant.

Virginity is the ideal of those who want to deflower.

Children play soldier. That makes sense. But why do soldiers play children?

Solitude would be ideal if you could pick the people to avoid.

In case of doubt, decide in favor of what is correct.

Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match.

How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe these lies when they see them in print.

Curses on the law! Most of my fellow citizens are the sorry consequences of uncommitted abortions.

He who gladly does without the praise of the crowd will not miss the opportunity of becoming his own fan.

Experiences are savings which a miser puts aside. Wisdom is an inheritance which a wastrel cannot exhaust.

Since the law prohibits the keeping of wild animals and I get no enjoyment from pets, I prefer to remain unmarried.

To me all men are equal: there are jackasses everywhere, and I have the same contempt for them all.

My unconscious knows more about the consciousness of the psychologist than his consciousness knows about my unconscious.

There is no more unfortunate creature under the sun than a fetishist who yearns for a woman's shoe and has to settle for the whole woman.

The mission of the press is to spread culture while destroying the attention span.

A healthy man is content with a woman. An erotic man is content with a stocking to get to a woman. A sick man is content with thestocking.

The immorality of men triumphs over the amorality of women.

When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all, I'm only human.