Living substance conquers the frenzy of destruction only in the ecstasy of procreation.

The art of the critic in a nutshell: to coin slogans without betraying ideas. The slogans of an inadequate criticism peddle ideas to fashion... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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Death is the sanction of everything the story-teller can tell. He has borrowed his authority from death... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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Opinions are a private matter. The public has an interest only in judgments... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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To be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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Quotations in my work are like wayside robbers who leap out armed and relieve the stroller of his conviction... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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The construction of life is at present in the power of facts far more than convictions... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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The greater the decrease in the social significance of an art form, the sharper the distinction between criticism and enjoyment by the public. The conventional is uncritically enjoyed, and the truly new is criticized with aversion... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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The destructive character lives from the feeling, not that life is worth living, but that suicide is not worth the trouble... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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It is only for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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The true picture of the past flits by. The past can be seized only as an image which flashes up at the instant when it can be recognized and is never seen again... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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All disgust is originally disgust at touching... view

By: Walter Benjamin

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