Do not treat me in this fashion. Don't leave me out. Have I not Always spoken the truth in my books? And now You treat me like a liar! I order you: Burn me! Those who lead the country into the abyss Call ruling too difficult For ordinary men. Ah, what an age it is When to speak of trees is almost a crime For it is a kind of silence about injustice!
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Speaking about ordinary things can be a form of protest against injustice when open criticism is suppressed.
- In plain terms
- In oppressive times, talking about simple things like trees becomes a quiet protest against injustice.
- What can you take from it?
- Discussing simple topics can be a form of resistance against oppression.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What counts as speech under censorship?
- How do we speak truth safely?
Another view
It romanticizes the burden of indirect speech under oppression.
More from Bertolt Brecht
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 To live means to finesse the processes to which one is subjugated.
Permalink to quote #9 Mixing one's wines may be a mistake, but old and new wisdom mix admirably.
Permalink to quote #10
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