Martin Svoboda

“Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”

“Generally speaking, whether or not technology can be thought of as good or bad depends on how it is used. We human beings should not be slaves to technology or machines. We should be in charge.”

“The glow retreats, done is the day of toil;
It yonder hastes, new fields of life exploring;
Ah, that no wing can lift me from the soil
Upon its track to follow, follow soaring!
A glorious dream! though now the glories fade.
Alas! the wings that lift the mind no aid
Of wings to lift the body can bequeath me.”

“Going to war without France is like going hunting without an accordion.”

“Religious man was born to be saved, psychological man is born to be pleased.”

“Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again.”

“Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again.”

“There are many ways to kill. One can stick a knife in one's stomach, deprive one of bread, fail to cure one of a disease, put one in a bad apartment, work one to death, drive one to suicide, take one to war, etc. Only a few of these are forbidden in our state.”

“Nothing can destroy iron, only its own rust can. Likewise, nothing can destroy you, only your own mindset can.”

“I don't know why people expect art to make sense. Life doesn't make sense.”

“There are so few who have all the talents requisite for translation and… there is so little encouragement for so considerable part of learning.”

“Democracy: I vote because the politicians we vote for are our voice in the parliaments.”

“Have courage to make use of your books!”

“Books are spaceships: with them you can reach new orbits. And with the best ones, the miracle of the Overview Effect.”

“Beware of overconcern for money, or position, or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.”

“Above all, don't lie to yourself.”

“Maybe your path is harder because your calling is higher.”

“Ideology doesn´t arrive and say, "I am ideology". Ideology says: "I am nature, and this is how things are".”

“People rarely change and if they do, they are not to be trusted.”