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A man who strains himself on the stage is bound, if he is any good, to strain all the people sitting in the stalls.

Bertolt Brecht

Though the rich of this earth find no difficulty in creating misery, they can’t bear to see it.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Bears Creating Earth
You don’t need to pray to God any more when there are storms in the sky, but you do have to be insured.
BERTOLT BRECHT

God Sky Storm
I opened the man’s skull and messed about with his brains. I saw how they patched fellows up, so as to cart them back to the Front as quickly as they could.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Brains Cart Front Patch Skull
The right to happiness is fundamental; men live so little time and die alone.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Alone Happiness Joy Men
Of all the works of man I like best Those which have been used. The copper pots with their dents and flattened edges The knives and forks whose wooden handles Have been worn away by many hands: such forms Seemed to me the noblest.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Approaching Folk Hands Knives Men
Oh! Moon of Alabama We now must say good-bye We’ve lost our good old mama And must have whiskey Oh, you know why!
BERTOLT BRECHT

Alabama Bye Moon
One cannot be arraigned for declaring a war, which every ruler has to do once in a while, but only for running a war badly.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Declaring Running War
Never believe on faith, see for yourself! What you yourself don’t learn you don’t know.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Believe Knows Learn
Young Alexander conquered India. He alone? Caesar beat the Gauls. Was there not even a cook in his army? Philip of Spain wept as his fleet was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears? Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War. Who Triumphed with him?
BERTOLT BRECHT

Army War Years
The worst illiterate is the political illiterate. He hears nothing, sees nothing, takes no part in political life. He doesn’t seem to know that the cost of living, the price of beans, of flour, of rent, of medicines all depend on political decisions.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Children Hate Ignorance
Fearful is the seductive power of goodness.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Fearful Goodness Seductive
Today every invention is received with a cry of triumph which soon turns into a cry of fear.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Fear Today Triumph
Sin is what is new, strong, surprising, strange. The theatre must take an interest in sin if the young are to be able to go there.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Able Strong Theatre
I am a playwright. I show What I have seen. In the man markets I have seen how men are traded. That I show, I, the playwright.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Men Show Traded
There must always be some who are brighter and some who are stupider, the latter make up for it by being better workers.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Latter Stupidity Workers
On thinking about Hell, I gather My brother Shelley found it was a place Much like the city of London.
BERTOLT BRECHT

Brother Cities Thinking

A man who strains himself on the stage is bound, if he is any good, to strain all the people sitting in the stalls.

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A man who strains himself on the stage is bound, if he is any good, to strain all the people sitting in the stalls.

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