309 Quotes by Thomas Mann

Even on a personal level art is aform of heightened living. It gives greater pleasures, it consumes faster. It stamps the features of its servants with the signs of imaginary and spiritual adventures,and it produces, even in the most cloister-like atmosphere, a certain fastidiousness,an over-refinement, an exhaustion and curiosity of the nerves, in a way even a lifeof the most outrageous passions and delights could scarcely effect it.

A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.

Bien écrire, c'est déjà presque bien penser, et il n'y a pas loin de là jusqu'à bien agir.

He took in the squeaky music, the vulgar and pining melodies, because passion immobilizes good taste and seriously considers what soberly would be thought of as funny and to be resented.

Nothing is stranger or more ticklish than a relationship between people who know each other only by sight, who meet and observe each other daily - no hourly - and are nevertheless compelled to keep up the pose of an indifferent stranger, neither greeting nor addressing each other, whether out of etiquette or their own whim.

How can I free myself from sexuality? Eat nothing but rice?

Yes, they are carnal, both of them, love and death, and therein lies their terror and their great magic!

For the sake of goodness and love, man shall let death have no sovereignty over his thoughts.

Ils se sont groupés, car une chose comme un pneumothorax rapproche naturellement les hommes, et ils s'appellent "l'Association des demi-poumons" [...].