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Quote by Erich Maria Remarque

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All quiet on the western front

Erich Maria Remarque's novel offers a stark portrayal of the horrors of war from the perspective of young soldiers on the Western Front during World War I. more

Author

Erich Maria Remarque
Erich Maria Remarque

German author best known for his novel 'All Quiet on the Western Front', which vividly portrays the horrors of World War I. His works are characterized by a realistic style and have had a profound impact on literature. more

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“Those who had fought for what they called the revolution maintained a great pride: the pride of being on the correct side of the front lines. Ten or twelve years later (around the time of our story) the front lines began to melt away, and with them the correct side. No wonder the former supporters of the revolution feel cheated and are quick to seek substitute fronts; thanks to religion they can (in their role as atheists struggling against believers) stand again on the correct side and retain their habitual and precious sense of their own superiority. But to tell the truth, the substitute front was also useful to others, and it will perhaps not be too premature to disclose that Alice was one of them. Just as the directress wanted to be on the correct side, Alice wanted to be on the opposite side. During the revolution they had nationalized her papa's shop, and Alice hated those who had done this to him. But how should she show her hatred? Perhaps by taking a knife and avenging her father? But this sort of thing is not the custom in Bohemia. Alice had a better means for expressing her opposition: she began to believe in God.”

“Think about a big, strong white belt on his first day of class. What's it like rolling with him? You probably catch him, but up until that point it's kind of crazy, kind of wild and unpredictable. It's different from rolling with a blue belt who may be good and fast but who's mostly doing moves that are recognizable as Jiu-Jitsu. But the thing is, the average guy you fight out in the street is going to be a lot more like the white belt. When you get mounted on a guy like that, you can't rush into things. You have to focus on weathering the storm.”

“Beliefs are limitations of vision and prisons of the mind. We believe too much and feel too little. Only when we follow our feelings, instead of denying them, will we break the grip the manipulators have on so many psyches. Go with the flow without fear of what others will think. The most powerful way to set ourselves free of the thinking, believing, fearing, intellect, is to celebrate our own uniqueness, allow everyone else to do the same, and never seek to impose what we believe on another.”