Friedrich Durrenmatt – 21 Quotes

21 Quotes by Friedrich Durrenmatt

Before anything else, we need a new age of Enlightenment. Our present political systems must relinquish their claims on truth, justice and freedom and have to replace them with the search for truth, justice, freedom and reason.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Pretend to be dumb, that’s the only way to reach old age.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Emotions have no place in business, unless you do business with them.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

News reports don’t change the world. Only facts change it, and those have already happened when we get the news.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Revolutions demand enormous sacrifices and, at the same time, create a new need to change the world again.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Whoever is content with the world, and who profits from its lack of justice, does not want to change it.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Everything that is necessary is also easy. You just have to accept it. And the most necessary, the most natural matter on this planet is death.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

When death has you by the throat, you don’t mince words.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

So then learn to conquer your fear. This is the only art we have to master nowadays: to look at things without fear, and to fearlessly do right.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Who sows fear, reaps weapons.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Only the freedom of mind can prevent the state from becoming totalitarian and from issuing totalitarian demands.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

The freedom of each individual can only be the freedom of all.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

World history is tragic.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

The world is bad but not without hope. It is only hopeless when you look at it from an ideal viewpoint.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

We do not consider patriotism desirable if it contradicts civilized behavior.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Our science has become terrible, our research dangerous, our findings deadly. We physicists have to make peace with reality. Reality is not as strong as we are. We will ruin reality.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

A major power can afford a military debacle only when it looks like a political victory.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Power is paradoxical.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

Religion and political expediency go beautifully hand in hand.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

In a society which is structured the wrong way, piety has no effect.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt

It is inhuman to continue a war which could easily be ended.

– Friedrich Durrenmatt