Gustav Stresemann Quotes

If you read the fables, 'Beowulf,' for example, you will know something about the person who writes them, and I like that. Secondly, they will not be about individuals; they will be about community. Thirdly, they're all about moralizing. Fourthly, the way they express themselves takes its tone from the oral tradition.

Without a knowledge of mythology much of the elegant literature of our own language cannot be understood and appreciated.

Myths are stories that express meaning, morality or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant.

Art is to me the glorification of the human spirit, and as such it is the cultural documentation of the time in which it is produced.

I like traditions, and the national anthem is important.

The thing is, fairytales were once a very gritty way for people to dialogue about aspects of life.

I appear to be drawn to iconic characters and what they reflect back to our cultures.

I was really exposed to great old-time literature - the classics, the poetic realists like Strindberg and Ibsen and all those guys. I was really inspired by all those guys. That's when writing became a primary focus.

History is simply man’s desperate bid to give substance to his most visionary dreams.

The Tower of David is important for Israel's heritage and existence because it is more than a tower, it is a symbol. It is more important than the Azrieli Towers.

American myths have never been colorless.

For me, India symbolises a big fire and a big river.

There are storytelling traditions that come from Africa that are unique from anywhere else.

I adore the classical pieces of our culture. The Greek and Roman are still inside and everywhere; it's impossible to disconnect.

The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history.

The reason why the music [jazz] is important is because it's an art form-an ancient art form-that takes in the mythology of our people.

They [Fairy Tales] are talking about real emotions, telling true stories, through the medium of metaphor. People used to understand metaphor better than I think we do now. But these stories are so potent, they refuse to die.

For whence did Dante take the materials for his hell but from this our actual world? And yet he made a very proper hell of it.

We are the only country in the world that trashes its old buildings. Too late we realize how very much we need them.

The use of history is to tell us what we are, for at our birth we are nearly empty vessels and we become what our tradition pours into us.

The test of a true myth is that each time you return to it, new insights and interpretations arise.

The sentiment of national honor is never more than half extinguished in the French. It takes only a spark to re-kindle it.

It is a commentary on Berlin in 1931 that ... it was 'My Yiddishe Momme' that the Berlin Broadcasting Company asked for.

The giant neon spinning discs are a reminder of the huge role that Sam Sniderman and his store played in the cultural life of Toronto and I believe they should be preserved and remounted in the interests of our city's heritage.

You see all these old buildings [in Rio] going down or catching fire overnight, and it is so sad. I am very connected with these buildings because they are our history. It is the only one that we have.