Who built the Thebes of the seven gates?
In the books you will find the names of kings.
Did the kings haul up the lumps of rock?...
Where, the evening that the wall of China was finished
Did the masons go?

Wer baute das siebentorige Theben?
In den Büchern stehen die Namen von Königen.
Haben die Könige die Felsbrocken herbeigeschleppt?...
Wohin gingen an dem Abend, wo die chinesische Mauer fertig war,
Die Maurer?

Bertolt Brecht

Questions from a Worker Who Reads

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More information about this quote

Topic

Great man theory of history Seven wonders of the world Workers History

Author

Bertolt Brecht

Source

Questions from a Worker Who Reads

Medium

Poem

Genre

Political literature

Statement Type

Question

Language

German

Time

1936 1930s 20th century

Occupation

Playwright Poet Writer

From

Germany Europe

Authentication Score 2

Citation

Brecht, Bertolt. "Fragen eines lesenden Arbeiters [Questions of a Reading Worker]." Das Wort, 1936.

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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote from the 1930s

Men have gained control over the forces of nature to such an extent that with their help they could have no difficulty in exterminating one another to the last man. They know this, and hence comes a large part of their current unrest, their unhappiness and their mood of anxiety.

Sigmund Freud

Civilization and Its Discontents

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More information about this quote
Topic
Downsides of technology

Author

Sigmund Freud
Source
Civilization and Its Discontents
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
German
Time
1930 1930s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Freud, Sigmund. Das Unbehagen in der Kultur [The Discomfort in Culture]. Internationaler Psychoanalytischer Verlag Wien, 1930, pt. 8.

Current Citation

Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents, translated by James Strachey. W. W. Norton & Company, 2021, pt. 8.

Another quote about History

History is written by the winners.

George Orwell

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Read this essay at telelib.com
More information about this quote
Topic
History

Author

George Orwell
Source
As I Please Tribune
Medium
Article Newspaper
Language
English
Time
1944 1940s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Orwell, George. "As I Please." Tribune, 4 Feb. 1944.

Current Citation

Orwell, George. "As I Please." The Collected Essays, Journalism And Letters Of George Orwell, vol. 3: As I Please 1943-1945, edited by Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. David R. Godine, 2004, no 18.

Another quote originally in German

From the earliest times, human civilization has been no more than a strange luminescence growing more intense by the hour, of which no one can say when it will begin to wane and when it will fade away. For the time being, our cities still shine through the night, and the fires still spread.

Max Sebald

The Rings of Saturn

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More information about this quote
Topic
Civilization

Author

Max Sebald
Source
The Rings of Saturn
Medium
Novel
Language
German
Time
1995 1990s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Sebald, Winfried Georg. Die Ringe des Saturn: Eine englische Wallfahrt [The Rings of Saturn: An English Pilgrimage]. Eichborn, 1995, pt. 7.

Another quote of the following type Question

Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?

Reservoir Dogs

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More information about this quote
Topic
Words vs. actions
Speaker
Mr. Blonde
Actor
Michael Madsen
Source
Reservoir Dogs
Genre
Crime (film) Crime
Statement Type
Question
Language
English
Time
1992 1990s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Reservoir Dogs. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Live America Inc./Dog Eat Dog Productions, 1992.