Karl Kraus: Quotes about people

Karl Kraus was Czech playwright and publicist. Explore interesting quotes on people.

Karl Kraus: 188 quotes5 likes

“The devil is an optimist if he thinks he can make people meaner.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“Solitude would be an ideal state if one were able to pick the people one avoids.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“Education is what most people receive, many pass on, and few have.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“If I return some people's greetings, I do so only to give them their greeting back.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“To divide people into sadists and masochists is almost as foolish as dividing them into eaters and digesters. In all cases one must disregard abnormalities; after all, there are people who are better at digesting than they are at eating and vice versa. As regards masochism and sadism, it is safe to say that a healthy person displays both perversities. The only ugly thing in each case is the word. The one derived from the novelist Leopold von Sacher-Masoch is particularly degrading, and it is hard not to let one's taste for things be spoiled by the designation. Nevertheless, a man with an artistic imagination will manage to let an authentic woman turn him into a masochist and an inauthentic one into a sadist. One knocks the latter's educated unnaturalness out of her until the woman is revealed. If she already is a woman, the only thing left to do is adore her.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“I would have stage-fright if I had to speak with every one of the people before whom I speak.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“The secret of the demagogue is to appear as dumb as his audience so that these people can believe themselves as smart as he.”

Variant translation: The secret of the demagogue is to make himself as stupid as his audience so that they believe they are as clever as he.
Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“It so often happened to me that someone who shared my opinion kept the larger share for himself that I am now forewarned and offer people only ideas.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)

“There is no doubt that a dog is loyal. But does that mean we should emulate him? After all, he is loyal to people, not to other dogs.”

Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths (1976)