For this world we live in None of us is sly enough. Never do we notice All is lie and bluff. Caesar beat the Gauls. Was there not even a cook in his army?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Brecht questions historical grandeur by noting mundane realities exist behind famous events.
- In plain terms
- Even great leaders had ordinary people working for them.
- What can you take from it?
- Look beyond the official story of history.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What ordinary details are hidden in famous stories?
- Do we prefer myths to reality?
Another view
The quote implies facts are hidden but does not prove they were lied about.
More from Bertolt Brecht
Literary works cannot be taken over like factories, or literary forms of expression like industrial methods. Realist writing, of which history offers many wide…
Permalink to quote #5 Do not rejoice in his defeat, you men. For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again.
Permalink to quote #7 Let nothing be called natural In an age of bloody confusion, Ordered disorder, planned caprice, And dehumanized humanity, lest all things Be held unalterable!
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
Fiction has to be plausible. All history has to do is happen.
Harry TurtledoveHarry Turtledove quote #1 'Det finns ingenting som inte hant, men mycket som inte berattats.'
Fritiof Nilsson PiratenFritiof Nilsson Piraten quote #2 The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as 'The Styles Case' has now somewhat subsided. Nevertheless, in view of the world-wid…
Agatha ChristieAgatha Christie quote #8