153 Quotes by Gunter Grass

For marriage has nothing in common with love. marriage makes for security; love makes only for suffering. On the other hand, love could be so distilled, spun so fine as to implicate third and fourth persons, as to take up three or four exciting acts in a play.

You are vain and wicked- as a genius should be.

When the young womanleans over the sky,about to water the flowers as well as the weeds,her white front splits openuntil her milk runs.

...my pride in Joachim Mahlke was as sweet as chocolate creams.

Einerseits geben Wörter Sinn, andererseits sind sie tauglich, Unsinn zu stiften. Wörter können heilsam oder verletzend sein. Das Wort als Waffe. Sich spreizende, auftrumpfende, mit Bedeutung gemästete Wörter. Manche sind Zungenbrecher, andere lassen erkennen, verschleiern, leugnen ab, decken zu oder auf. Oft liegen winzige Wahrheiten unter Wortlawinen begraben. Aus Wortstreit entspringen Schimpfwörter. Flüche, Beschwörungen, Zaubersprüche bannen, rufen herbei, lassen wahre Wunder geschehen.

Translation is that which transforms everything so that nothing changes.

When pestered with questions, memory is like an onion that wishes to be peeled so we can read what is laid bare letter by letter.

Stuffed cats are able to creep more convincingly than live ones.

They swore by concrete. They built for eternity.