Friedrich Durrenmatt

Friedrich Durrenmatt

21 quotes

Swiss author and dramatist Friedrich Durrenmatt has a gift for language that makes complex ideas feel instantly clear. With equal ease, Friedrich Durrenmatt moved between Freedom and Change, finding connections others missed. Our collection holds 24 quotes from Friedrich Durrenmatt, each offering a different angle on Freedom, Change, Power, Fear, and Death. To get a sense of their style, try: "Revolutions demand enormous sacrifices and, at the same time, create a new need to change the world again."

“When death has you by the throat, you don't mince words.”

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Death

All Quotes by Friedrich Durrenmatt

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Business

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Patriotism

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Hope

“When death has you by the throat, you don't mince words.”

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Death

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Society

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Change

“World history is tragic.”

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

History

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Freedom

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

War

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Power

“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

Age

“Power is paradoxical.”

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Power

“Who sows fear, reaps weapons.”

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Fear

“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

Death

“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

Fear

“Pretend to be dumb, that's the only way to reach old age.”

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Age

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Change

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Change

“Religion and political expediency go beautifully hand in hand.”

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Religion

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

— Friedrich Durrenmatt

Freedom