Top Bernhard Schlink Quotes

Bernhard Schlink Biography

Bernhard Schlink (born 6 July 1944 in Bielefeld) is a German lawyer, Professor of the Philosophy of Law and writer. His novel The Reader, first published in 1995, became an international bestseller.

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Bernhard Schlink Quotes

What a sad story, I thought for so long. Not that I now think it was happy. But I think it is true, and thus the question of whether it is sad or happy has no meaning whatever.

Thinking, Long, Feeling Sad, Question, Sad

It wasn't that I forgot Hanna. But at a certain point the memory of her stopped accompanying me wherever I went. She stayed behind, the way a city stays behind as a train pulls out of the station. It's there, somewhere behind you, and you could go back and make sure of it. But why should you?

Cities, City, Hanna, Memories, Stopped, Way

People who commit monstrous crimes are not necessarily monsters. If they were, things would be easy. But they aren't and it is one of the experiences of life.

Commit, Crimes, Monsters, People, Things, Would Be

I certainly know German colleagues in the US who try to be Americans, try to melt into Americanism, even before they get married and become American citizens. But I've never tried that.

Americanism, Citizens, Married, Tried, Trying

Or is there no such thing as 'too late'? Is there only 'late' and is 'late' always better than 'never'? I don't know.

Too Late, Late, Knows, Thing, Know

Why? Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths? Why does the memory of years of happy marriage turn to gall when our partner is revealed to have had a lover all those years? Because such a situation makes it impossible to be happy? But we were happy! Sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily. Because happiness is only real if it lasts forever? Because things always end painfully if they contained pain, conscious or unconscious, all along? But what is unconscious, unrecognized pain?

Beautiful, Dark, Gall, Memories, Pain, Painfully

Sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily.

Ended, Memories, Sometimes, Stay True, True, Unhappily

. . . I had to point at Hanna. But the finger I pointed at her turned back to me. I had loved her. I tried to tell myself that I had known nothing of what she had done when I chose her. I tried to talk myself into the state of innocence in which children love their parents. But love of our parents is the only love for which we are not responsible. . . . And perhaps we are responsible even for the love we feel for our parents.

Children, Done, Innocence, Loved, Parent, Tell

There's no need to talk about it, because the truth of what one says lies in what one does.

Doe, Lying, Needs, Says, Talk, Truth

I know that disavowal is an unusal form of betrayal. From the outside it is impossible to tell if you are disowning someone or simply exercising discretion, being considerate, avoiding embarrassments and sources of irritation. But you, who are doing the disowning, you know what you're doing. And disavowal pulls the underpinnings away from a relationship just as surely as other more flamboyant types of betrayal.

Betrayal, Disowning, Exercise, Irritation, Relationship, Types

As a citizen and someone who was a judge on the constitutional law court for 18 years, I feel whenever I can raise my voice with the hope of being heard I need to do it, but I wouldn't assign a special wisdom and responsibility to writers.

Constitutional, Heard, Law, Raise, Responsibility, Years

When we open ourselves you yourself to me and I myself to you, when we submerge you into me and I into you when we vanish into me you and into you I Then am I me and you are you.

Open, Submerge, Vanish

why does what was beautiful shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths?

Beautiful, Concealed, Dark, Doe, Hindsight, Shatter

We make our own truths and lies. . . . Truths are often lies and lies truths.

Lies, Lies Truth, Lying, Make, Truth And Lies, Truths

Now to escape involves not just running away, but arriving somewhere.

Arriving, Escape, Involves, Running, Running Away

Philosophy has forgotten about children

Children, Forgotten, Philosophy

I'm not frightened. I'm not frightened of anything. The more I suffer, the more I love. Danger will only increase my love. It will sharpen it, forgive its vice. I will be the only angel you need. You will leave life even more beautiful than you entered it. Heaven will take you back and look at you and say: Only one thing can make a soul complete and that thing is love.

Angel, Beautiful, Heaven, Make, Vice

Desires, memories, fears, passions form labyrinths in which we lose and find and then lose ourselves again.

Desires, Labyrinth, Labyrinths, Lose, Memories, Passion

The past has to be remembered, so that it's never repeated.

Past, Remembered, Repeated

Bravery is good when the cause is good.

Bravery, Cause, Causes, Good

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Bernhard Schlink Biography

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