The Tale of the 1002nd Night Quotes

“I might be capable of making figures that have heart, conscience, passion, emotion and decency. But there's no call for that at all in the world. People are only interested in monsters and freaks, so I give them their monsters. Monsters are what they want!”
― Joseph Roth, The Tale of the 1002nd Night

“Taittinger pondered, but he was well aware that no amount of pondering had yet helped him to a sensible conclusion.”
― Joseph Roth, The Tale of the 1002nd Night

“He took the Captain as he was, and was fond of him, with his cheery heartlessness, his incapacity to think beyond a couple of thoughts, for which his skull was far too roomy, his insignificant love affairs and childish infatuations, and the pointless and unconnected remarks that came out of his mouth, seemingly at random. He was a mediocre officer, who didn't care about his comrades, his men, his career.”
― Joseph Roth, The Tale of the 1002nd Night

“But the sound of despair is never pleasant; it sounds suspiciously like lying.”
― Joseph Roth, The Tale of the 1002nd Night

“An indescribable sadness emanated from the white splendour of the staircase and balustrade; the blood-red, now almost black splendour of the carpets. The huge palms in their huge pots looked like they had recently arrived from the cemetery. Their dark green leaves also looked blackish, like wizened, perished weapons from olden days.”
― Joseph Roth, The Tale of the 1002nd Night