9 Quotes by Theodor Kallifatides

Sometimes I think the point of old age is to be embarrassed about one’s youth.

Is the need to love greater than the need to hate?

The compulsion to defend ourselves is always stronger than the desire to conquer.

My maternal grandmother was not a philosopher, and she used to say that “words have no bones, but they can break bones.” She knew what we all know: a word can cause more pain, more damage than the sharpest knife. As far as she was concerned, saying something and doing something were exactly the same.

Opinions are not only actions but often lethal weapons. In all known wars, the opposing sides attack each other’s beliefs and symbols ... The standard that should carry the greatest importance for both the state and the individual is the equal value of all human beings. Every other principle should stem from this.

Emigration is a kind of partial suicide. You don’t die, but a great deal dies within you. Not least, the language.

Η σημασία του αποχωρισμού δεν είναι να γυρίσεις τη σελίδα του βιβλίου της ζωής, αλλά να την ξαναδιαβάσεις.

Αν αρχίσεις τα ψέματα, καλύτερα να συνεχίσεις. Είναι και αυτό μια από τις διαφορές ανάμεσα στην αλήθεια και στο ψέμα. Η αλήθεια έχει ένα τέλος. Το ψέμα όχι.

Opinions are not only actions but often lethal weapons. In all known wars, the opposing sides attack each other’s beliefs and symbols... The standard that should carry the greatest importance for both the state and the individual is the equal value of all human beings. Every other principle should stem from this.