Karl Kraus

The secret of the demagogue is to make himself as stupid as his audience so they believe they are clever as he.

Karl Kraus
Funny, Clever, Stupid
62 Copy quote   
The devil is an optimist if he thinks he can make people worse than they are.

Karl Kraus
Thinking, People, Devil
"Die Fackel", no. 277/78 (March 31, 1909), translated in "Anti-Freud: Karl Kraus's Criticism of Psychoanalysis and Psychiatry" by Thomas Szasz, (Ch. 8), 1970.
 
Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.

Karl Kraus
Country, Moral Corruption, Literature
78 Copy quote   
Solitude would be ideal if you could pick the people to avoid.

Karl Kraus
People, Solitude, Would Be
56 Copy quote   
One of the most widespread diseases is diagnosis.

Karl Kraus
Doctors, Disease, Diagnosis
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & One-and-a-half Truths: Selected Aphorisms”
7 Copy quote   
How do wars start? Diplomats tell lies to journalists, then believe what they read.

Karl Kraus
War, Lying, Believe
16 Copy quote   
In case of doubt, decide in favor of what is correct.

Karl Kraus
Decision, Doubt, Favors
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & one-and-a-half truths: selected aphorisms”
5 Copy quote   
When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all, I'm only human.

Karl Kraus
Men, Literature, Beast
12 Copy quote   
Most people only do what they are asked to do; success comes to those who do a little more.

Karl Kraus
People, Littles
8 Copy quote   
To be sure, the dog is loyal. But why, on that account, should we take him as an example? He is loyal to man, not to other dogs.

Karl Kraus
Dog, Men, Example
12 Copy quote   
Intercourse with a woman is sometimes a satisfactory substitute for masturbation. But it takes a lot of imagination to make it work.

Karl Kraus
Work, Imagination, Literature
Die Fackel, 2 July 1907
46 Copy quote   
Sound opinions are valueless. What matters is who holds them.

Karl Kraus
What Matters, Sound, Opinion
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & one-and-a-half truths: selected aphorisms”
6 Copy quote   
War is, at first, the hope that one will be better off; next, the expectation that the other fellow will be worse off; then, the satisfaction that he isn't any better off; and, finally, the surprise at everyone's being worse off.

Karl Kraus
Hope, Peace, War
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & one-and-a-half truths: selected aphorisms”
12 Copy quote   
No ideas and the ability to express them - that's a journalist.

Karl Kraus
Hilarious, Ideas, Literature
"Unspeakable but readable" by Ian Mayes, www.theguardian.com. August 27. 2004.
30 Copy quote   
Penalties serve to deter those who are not inclined to commit any crimes.

Karl Kraus
Crime, Penalties, Commit
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & One-and-a-half Truths: Selected Aphorisms”
12 Copy quote   
Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match.

Karl Kraus
Stupid, Earthquakes, Force
10 Copy quote   
Psychoanalysis is that mental illness for which it regards itself as therapy.

Karl Kraus
Mental Illness, Therapy, Regard
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & one-and-a-half truths: selected aphorisms”
11 Copy quote   
The truth is that the newspaper is not a place for information to be given, rather it is just hollow content, or more than that, a provoker of content. If it prints lies about atrocities, real atrocities are the result.

Karl Kraus
Real, Lying, Atrocities
5 Copy quote   
Democracy means the opportunity to be everyone's slave.

Karl Kraus
Mean, Opportunity, Democracy
19 Copy quote   
There are women who are not beautiful but only look that way.

Karl Kraus
Beauty, Beautiful, Looks
"'Spr;che und Widerspr;che' ('Dicta and Contradictions')". Book by Karl Kraus, translated by Richard Hanser, 1909.
11 Copy quote   
So-called psychoanalysis is the occupation of lustful rationalists who trace everything in the world to sexual causes--with the exception of their occupation.

Karl Kraus
World, Occupation, Causes
"Half-Truths and One-And-A-Half Truths". Book by Karl Kraus, translated by Harry Zohn, 1986.
9 Copy quote   
Moral responsibility is what is lacking in a man when he demands it of a woman.

Karl Kraus
Responsibility, Men, Demand
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & one-and-a-half truths: selected aphorisms”
21 Copy quote   
What the teachers digest, the pupils eat.

Karl Kraus
Education, Teacher, Pupils
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & one-and-a-half truths: selected aphorisms”
6 Copy quote   
It is better not to express what one means than to express what one does not mean.

Karl Kraus
Mean, Doe, Literature
Karl Kraus (1976). “Half-truths & one-and-a-half truths: selected aphorisms”
6 Copy quote   
War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost.

Karl Kraus