The simple act of an ordinary courageous man is not to take part, not to support lies! Let that come into the world and even reign over it, but not through me. Writers and artists can do more: they can vanquish lies! ... Lies can stand up against much in the world, but not against art.

We have been fortunate enough to live at a time when virtue, though it does not triumph, is nonetheless not always tormented by attack dogs. Beaten down, sickly, virtue has now been allowed to enter in all its tatters and sit in the corner, as long as it doesn't raise its voice.

... maybe it is only by banging our heads against it that we can bring this accursed wall down.

Any fool can bomb a train, but just try sorting out the mess.

A whole week, a single campaign, a month, a week, even a day was far more than enough to cut a company or platoon to ribbons or cripple a man for life: it needed only a quarter of an hour.

It takes a fool to rush off to war!

Only a magician can fix a head on a body, but any fool can lop it off.

Whither and to what end will we ... be moving? To beat the enemy over the head with a club-even cavemen knew that.

A drop in the ocean has no fear of a hurricane.

It's not the sea that drowns you-it's the puddle.