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Quote by Karl Kraus

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Half-truths & One-and-a-half Truths: Selected Aphorisms

This book compiles a selection of aphorisms that delve into the complexities of truth and its various forms, offering readers a contemplative exploration of the human condition and the ways in which truth can be perceived and manipulated. more

Author

Karl Kraus
Karl Kraus

Karl Kraus (April 28, 1874 - June 12, 1936) was an Austrian writer and critic, known for his satirical and critical writing style. He was one of the most important Austrian writers of the early 20th century, particularly renowned for his sharp commentary on society, politics, and culture. more

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“The maker of kitsch does not create inferior art, he is not an incompetent or a bungler, he cannot be evaluated by aesthetic standards; rather, he is ethically depraved, a criminal willing radical evil. And since it is radical evil that is manifest here, evil per se, forming the absolute negative pole of every value-system, kitsch will always be evil, not just kitsch in art, but kitsch in every value-system that is not an imitation system.”

“The man who is thus outside the confines of every value-combination, and has become the exclusive representative of an individual value, is metaphysically an outcast, for his autonomy presupposes the resolution and disintegration of all system into its individual elements; such a man is liberated from values and from style, and can be influenced only by the irrational.”

“In theory we understand people, but in practice we can't put up with them, I thought, deal with them for the most part reluctantly and always treat them from our point of view. We should observe and treat people not from our point of view but from all angles, I thought, associate with them in such a way that we can say we associate with them so to speak in a completely unbiased way, which however isn't possible, since we actually are always biased against everybody.”

“Those who live in the country get idiotic in time, without noticing it, for a while they think it's original and good for their health, but life in the country is not original at all, for anyone who wasn't born in and for the country it shows a lack of taste and is only harmful to their health. The people who go walking in the country walk right into their own funeral in the country and at the very least they lead a grotesque existence which leads them first into idiocy, then into an absurd death.”