“There is no document of civilization that is not also a document of barbarism.”

—  Walter Benjamin , book Theses on the Philosophy of History

Variant: There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.
Source: Theses on the Philosophy of History (1940), VII
Source: On the Concept of History

Original

Es ist niemals ein Dokument der Kultur, ohne zugleich ein solches der Barbarei zu sein.

Theses on the Philosophy of History (1940)

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Walter Benjamin 70
German literary critic, philosopher and social critic (1892… 1892–1940

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