The Ditch Quotes

“Do I need to present here a list of all the dictators, psychopaths and mass murderers who were vegetarian?”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch

“People make all kinds of assumptions when it comes to names, especially when a name isn’t from around here, when they don’t have a clue about how to pronounce it, let alone spell it.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Alleen mensen die zichzelf veel te belangrijk vinden denken dat ze overal gemist zullen worden.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Human beings cobble together their own mythologies over time. I was unloved, I was too loved, I was popular, a loner, misunderstood, persecuted, stupid, a winner. We use the past to explain ourselves.”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch

“Happiness, I told myself back then, and still tell myself today- or perhaps one would would do better to speak of satisfaction, rather than happiness- is bound up closely with the acceptance of your own head. Your own body. Your build. There are plenty of things you can do about that body. You can lose weight when you think you're too fat, you can lift weights when you become embarrassed by the way your ribs stick out. But there's not much you can change about your head. The head has a mind of its own. It grows bald when it feels like it. It grows fatter, older, spottier, in a way you'd never thought possible. Visible to all, and not least of all to yourself. You can't hide your head by pulling a T-shirt or a sweater over it. It's there all the time, every hour of the day and night. It looks at you in the mirror. This is it, it says unblinkingly. You'll have to make do with this.”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch

“Santuoka kaip žiemos peizažas, kietasprandiškas tylėjimas, sutrikdomas tik čaižančio vėjo.”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch

“The new fascism puts on its friendliest smile, helps old people across the street and carries their heavy shopping bags up the stairs.”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch

“Which may be the greatest perk of getting older. I’m no longer afraid of missing something. I know that I won’t miss a thing.”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch: A Novel

“I tried to stop my imagination at that point, but by then the image was more powerful than I was. I kept looking, I couldn’t take my eyes off it, the way you’ll watch open-heart surgery or an eye operation on TV, even though you know you shouldn’t, the remote in your hand, your thumb on the button, ready to zap away, but you wait too long: the shot of the sawed-open rib cage, the surgeon’s hands in their green plastic gloves holding the throbbing heart, the white eyeball hanging out of its socket, attached to the head by only a few bloody threads, will remain tattooed on your retinas for the rest of your life.”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch: A Novel

“Širdies gilumoje tikiu, kad galiausiai nieko nėra. Jeigu žmogaus gyvenimas yra apsirikimas, tai gyvenimas po mirties turėtų būti dar didesnis apsirikimas.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Mes dabar vis kalbame apie taršą, bet įsivaizduok, kad mes patys esame tarša. Ne tik mes- visa gyvybė. Aš esu pamėginęs taip įsivaizduoti. Mūsų Žemę be gyvybės. Be medžių, be žolės, be visiškai nieko. Tokių vietų esama Islandijoje. Arba prie Didžiojo Kanjono. Tai visiškai neliūdna, kaip tik nuostabu.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Visada, kai suteiki žmonėms galimybę dalyvauti ir kai jie gali balsuoti, gauni bjaurastį. Ne tik bjaurius pastatus, bet ir bjaurius, nereikšmingus politikus.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Kuo didesnė galia, tuo didesni pastatai, tuo mažesnis žmogus.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Kas rūko, tas pajungia laiką savo valiai. Rūkalius niekada nelaukia. Rūkalius rūko.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Gėda neegzistuoja. Gyvūnai nejaučia gėdos. Tai žmonių prasimanymas. Gyvenantys be gėdos yra laisvesni, jie arčiau gamtos.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Kas nors netenka mylimo žmogaus. Be jos ar jo nebegaliu gyventi,- tvirtai pareiškia našlė ar našlys. Bet tai netiesa. Yra gedulas, ilgesys, skausmas, bet gedulas, ilgesys ir skausmas kaip tik priverčia tave jausti, jog gyveni, galbūt dar labiau nei prieš netektį.”
― Herman Koch, The Ditch

“Atmintis- viena iš mano stiprybių, atsimenu daug, kartais daugiau, negu reikia.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Tik žmonės, kurie įsivaizduoja esantys pernelyg svarbūs, mano, kad jų visur pasiges.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Žmonės su vardais sieja daugybę dalykų, ypač jei vardas ne čionykštis, jei nesugeba jo ištarti, juo labiau užrašyti.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel

“Mensen verbinden van alles aan namen, vooral wanneer die naam niet van hier is, wanneer ze geen idee hebben hoe je die uitspreekt, laat staan dat ze zouden weten hoe je hem zou moeten schrijven.”
― Herman Koch, De greppel