Nobodaddy's Children Quotes

“You see, for me [art]'s not one of life's ornaments, rococo relaxation to be greeted affably after a day of hard work; I'm inverted on this : for me it's my very breath, the one thing necessary, and all else is excretion and a latrine.”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“Nothing more grisly and pitiful : than two nations going for each other's nation-antheming throats. (Man, the "animal that bawls hurrah"; as a definition).”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“History on the scale is nothing : cold, impersonal, unconvincing, sketchy (false besides)”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“Every writer should grab hold of the nettle of reality; and then show us all of it : the black filthy roots; the poison-green viper stalk; the gaudy flower(y pot).”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“Poet: should you receive the applause of the people, ask yourself: what have I done wrong? ! And if your second book is so received as well, then cast away your pen: you can never be great. […] Art for the people? ! : leave that slogan to the Nazis and Communists: it’s just the opposite: the people (everyman!) are obligated to struggle their way to art!”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“My life ?! : is not a continuum ! (not simply fractured into white and black pieces by day and night ! For even by day they are all someone else, the fellow who walks to the train; sits in the office; bookworms; stalks through groves; copulates; small-talks; writes; man of a thousand thoughts; of fragmenting categories; who runs; smokes; defecates: listens to the radio; says "Commissioner, sir" : that's me !) : a tray full of glistening snapshots.”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“ignorance is its own fault, and no cause for pity”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“necessity makes everyone the muse's pimp”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“may not heaven be nothing but an invention of the devil to torment us, the damned, all the more ?”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“Art for the people ?! : leave that slogan to the Nazis and Communists : it's just the opposite : the people (everyman !) are obligated to struggle their way to art !”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“There is even a Sanskrit proverb that says, most people give off sparks only when you land a fist in their eye ! : and so, painter, paint ! poet, write ! with your fist ! (For they have to be awakened somehow, the semi-people behind the boundary line : so simply let yourselves be cursed as "ruffians" by the faint-hearted; as "arsonists" by the firefighters; as "breakers-and-enterers" by the sleepers : they should thank their appropriate gods that somebody has finally awakened them !).”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“Color blindness is rare; art blindness is the rule”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“Whoever wants to write a book has to have a lot to say : usually more than he has.”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors

“Die menschliche Gattung ist von der Natur mit Allem versehen, was zum Wahrnehmen, Beobachten, Vergleichen und Unterscheiden der Dinge nötig ist. Sie hat zu diesen Verrichtungen nicht nur das Gegenwärtige unmittelbar vor sich liegen und kann, um weise zu werden, nicht nur ihre eigenen Erfahrungen nützen: auch die Erfahrungen aller vorhergehenden Zeiten und
Bemerkungen einer Anzahl von scharfsinnigen Menschen, die, wenigstens sehr oft, richtig gesehen haben, liegen zu ihrem Gebrauch offen. Durch diese Erfahrungen und Bemerkungen ist schon längst ausgemacht, nach welchen Naturgesetzen der Mensch — in welcher Art von Gesellschaft und Verfassung er sich befinde — leben und handeln muß, um in seiner Art glücklich zu sein. Durch sie ist Alles, was für die ganze Gattung zu allen Zeiten und unter allen Umständen nützlich oder schädlich ist, unwidersprechlich dargetan; die Regeln, deren Anwendung uns vor Irrtümern und Trugschlüssen sicher stellen können, sind gefunden; wir können mit befriedigender Gewißheit wissen, was schön und häßlich, recht oder unrecht, gut oder böse ist, warum es so ist, und inwieweit es so ist; es ist keine Art von Torheit, Laster und Bosheit zu erdenken, deren Ungereimtheit oder Schädlichkeit nicht schon längst so scharf als irgend ein Lehrsatz im Euklides bewiesen wäre: Und dennoch! Dessen Allen unerachtet, drehen sich die Menschen seit etlichen tausend Jahren immer in dem nämlichen Zirkel von Torheiten, Irrtümern und Mißbräuchen herum, werden weder durch fremde noch eigene Erfahrung klüger, kurz, werden, wenns hoch in einem Individuum kommt, witziger, scharfsinniger, gelehrter, aber nie weiser.”
― Arno Schmidt, Nobodaddy's Children: Scenes from the Life of a Faun, Brand's Heath, Dark Mirrors