The destructive character knows only one watchword: make room. And only one activity: clearing away. The destructive character is young and cheerful. For destroying rejuvenates, because it clears away the traces of our own age; it cheers, because everything cleared away means to the destroyer a complete reduction, indeed a rooting out, of his own condition.

Walter Benjamin

Categorized in : Character Age Cheerful

The more circumspectly you delay writing down an idea, the more maturely developed it will be on surrendering itself.

Walter Benjamin

delay writing ideas

Thinking involves not only the flow of thoughts, but their arrest as well.

Walter Benjamin

wells flow thinking

We collect books in the belief that we are preserving them when in fact it is the books that preserve their collector.

Walter Benjamin

belief book facts

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

Walter Benjamin

fear being-happy happiness

These are days when no one should rely unduly on his competence. Strength lies in improvisation. All the decisive blows are struck left-handed.

Walter Benjamin

blow life lying

The experience of our generation:

Walter Benjamin

our-generation generations natural

Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.

Walter Benjamin

space unique art

The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the "state of emergency" in which we live is not the exception but the rule.

Walter Benjamin

emergencies tradition states

There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.

Walter Benjamin

barbarism documents civilization

Taking food alone tends to make one hard and coarse. Those accustomed to it must lead a Spartan life if they are not to go downhill. Hermits have observed, if for only this reason, a frugal diet. For it is only in company that eating is done justice; food must be divided and distributed if it is to be well received.

Walter Benjamin

done justice food

Those who do not learn how to decipher photographs will be the illiterate of the future.

Walter Benjamin

illiterate learning photograph

The work of memory collapses time.

Walter Benjamin

collapse memories

Capitalism is a purely cultic religion, perhaps the most extreme that ever existed.

Walter Benjamin

extremes capitalism

The only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope.

Walter Benjamin

love relationship friendship

The concept of progress must be grounded in the idea of catastrophe. That things are 'status quo' is the catastrophe

Walter Benjamin

status-quo progress ideas

The camera introduces us to unconscious optics as does psychoanalysis to unconscious impulses.

Walter Benjamin

cameras photography doe

All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation.

Walter Benjamin

interpretation intelligence form

Literature tells very little to those who understand it.

Walter Benjamin

literature littles

Work on a good piece of writing proceeds on three levels: a musical one, where it is composed, an architectural one, where it is constructed, and finally a textile one, where it is woven.

Walter Benjamin

musical woven writing

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

Walter Benjamin

suicide feelings character