Quote #58

The young Alexander conquered India. Was he alone? Caesar beat the Gauls. Did he not even have a cook with him? Philip of Spain wept when his armada Went down. Was he the only one to weep? Frederick the Second won the Seven Years' War. Who Else won it? Every page a victory. Who cooked the feast for the victors? Every ten years a great man. Who paid the bill?

More from Bertolt Brecht

  1. When evil-doing comes like falling rain, nobody calls out 'stop!' When crimes begin to pile up they become invisible. When sufferings becom…
  2. The headlong stream is termed violent But the river bed hemming it in is Termed violent by no one.
  3. The plum tree in the yard's so small It's hardly like a tree at all. Yet there it is, railed round To keep it safe and sound. The poor thin…
  4. Little changes are the enemies of great changes.
  5. Events cast long shadows before. One such event would be a war. But how are shadows to be seen When total darkness fills the screen?
  6. Their peace and their war Are like wind and storm. War grows from their peace.
  7. Play your part creatively in all the struggles Of men of your time, thereby Helping, with the seriousness of study and the cheerfulness of …
  8. General, your tank is a powerful vehicle it smashes down forests and crushes a hundred men. but it has one defect: it needs a driver.

All Bertolt Brecht quotes