Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Bertolt Friedrich Brechtwas a German poet, playwright, and theatre director of the 20th century. He made contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter through the tours undertaken by the Berliner Ensemble – the post-war theatre company operated by Brecht and his wife, long-time collaborator and actress Helene Weigel...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionPlaywright
Date of Birth10 February 1898
CityAugsburg, Germany
CountryGermany
If art reflects life, it does so with special mirrors.
Things take indeed a wondrous turn When learned men do stoop to learn.
What's a joy to the one is a nightmare to the other.
When the house of a great one collapses Many little ones are slain.
There are times when you have to choose between being human and having good taste.
Even hatred of vileness Distorts a mans features.
When the praying does no good, insurance does help.
Never believe on faith, see for yourself! What you yourself don't learn you don't know.
We often do not know ourselves the grounds On which we act, though plain to others.
What rapture, oh, it is to know A good thing when you see it And having seen a good thing, oh, What rapture 'tis to flee it.
There are a few things that'll move people to pity, a few, but the trouble is, when they've been used several times, they no longer work.
Terrible is the temptation to be good.
Art and science work in quite different ways: agreed. But, bad as it may sound, I have to admit that I cannot get along as an artist without the use of one or two sciences. ... In my view, the great and complicated things that go on in the world cannot be adequately recognized by people who do not use every possible aid to understanding.
Art and science coincide insofar as both aim to improve the lives of men and women. The latter normally concerns itself with profit, the former with pleasure. In the coming age, art will fashion our entertainment out of new means of productivity in ways that will simultaneously enhance our profit and maximize our pleasure.