Andreas Eschbach > Quotes

“But shame is like a wound that is never exposed and therefore never heals.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“It only becomes art if it touches other people.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“Nothing is more difficult to exterminate than religion, no matter how false it may be.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“Im Grunde genommen geht es immer noch um den Satz, den ich damals auf meinen Gaderobespiegel geschrieben habe und dessen Ende weggewischt hatte: "Ich passe auf mich auf, aber falls mir etwas passieren sollte..."
Die Sache ist die, dass man das nicht einfach wegwischen kann. Falls man nicht gerade beschlossen hat, blind und feig durchs Leben zu gehen, muss man eine Antwort finden auf die Frage, wie dieser Satz weitergehen soll. Und man kann die Frage, was man sich wünscht für die Zeit nach seinem Tod, nicht beantworten, ohne sich darüber im Klaren zu sein, was man sich wahrhaft wünscht für die Zeit davor.”
― Andreas Eschbach, Die seltene Gabe

“I was born into this world without knowing what life was all about. Only power promised fulfillment in life, and I have pursued it--long enough to recognize that it's a false promise and that this road leads to nothing. But I tried. Even if we get no answers to our questions, it is the inalienable right of every living being to search for them--by all means, on all paths, and with all strength. What I did was only what I had a right to do.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“It seems to me, dear sister, that you still think the important thing is to become like everybody else. In reality, the important thing is to become different from the others, to discover your uniqueness. You're a rebel by birth, but that doesn't mean much. Your own rebellion is still ahead of you.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“Religion war eine Art Regenschirm. Bei schönem Wetter denkt man überhaupt nicht an seinen Regenschirm. Erst wenn es regnet, fällt er einem wider ein.”
― Andreas Eschbach, Das Jesus-Video

“Nargant often noticed how his own thought processes made endless twists and turns, even to reach totally insignificant decisions, and how much energy he wasted, almost without thinking about it, trying to protect himself on all sides against all eventualities.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“You think you’ve uncovered a great mystery. You have no idea. You haven’t even scratched the surface of the history of the Empire.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“Im Grunde, erkannte sie, stimmt es gar nicht, dass man als Mensch freie Entscheidungen trifft. Wenn es um wichtige Dinge geht, dann wählt man nicht "frei", sondern man wählt die Option, die man für die bessere hält - und das Problem ist, dass man das meistens nicht weiß. Also entscheidet man eigentlich nicht, sondern man rät, und das mit mehr oder weniger Glück.”
― Andreas Eschbach, NSA - Nationales Sicherheits-Amt

“Your problem, Nagrant,' he declared, 'is that your education was unconnected with the practical reality of life. You grew up believing that rules are more important than all the facts you could ever uncover, and that the slightest disobedience is deadly.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“Die meisten Menschen sind es ja nicht gewöhnt, sich wirklich selber ein Urteil zu bilden; es reicht ihnen vollkommen, wenn sie das von sich glauben können, während sie in Wirklichkeit Gedanken nachplappern, die sie irgendwo aufgeschnappt haben.”
― Andreas Eschbach, NSA - Nationales Sicherheits-Amt

“First you have to lose your debts; as long as you’re in debt, you’re not free,” he explained. “Then you have to get some breathing space so you can go in a new direction, but above all you need to know what you want from life.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“Because he knew money was power. And because he, however he came upon the idea, knew that there would have to be someone to make a change in the distant future.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“Your friend, or whatever it is you see in him, is the prototype of a true loser if I ever saw one. He never did anything with his life and he never will. Forget him, John, as fast as possible. Avoid any and all contact with him. Losers are dangerous to people with important goals, believe me. You can be the most competent person on earth, but if you have losers around you, you won’t achieve anything. They pull you down and mess up your plans and get into your way at crucial moments. They poison your life like a contagious disease — they might even be a disease.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“Now he had to decide--what was the right thing to do? Something that required courage. Something that was frightening, because the unknown was lying in wait on the other side.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“Eine gute Frage ist oft schon die halbe Antwort. Viele Probleme entstehen nicht aus fehlenden Antworten, sondern aus ungenauen Fragen.”
― Andreas Eschbach, Das Jesus-Video

“Let me put it this way: if someone still thinks that a single country can withstand the influence of multinational corporations, then it’s about time for him to wake up and smell the coffee.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“»Die Ära der Nationen ist vorbei. Eine Zeit lang werden die Menschen noch daran festhalten, wie an Großmutters Teeservice, das man nie benutzt, weil es nicht spülmaschinenfest ist, aber eine der nächsten Generationen wird nicht mehr verstehen, wozu eine Nation gut sein soll.«”
― Andreas Eschbach, Eine Billion Dollar

“Clothes make the man,”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“Some multinational corporations have become mightier than many countries. In effect, the old principles of national sovereignty have become obsolete. What we need is a transnational power, capable of establishing law and order at a global level.” Kofi Annan looked at John with even more concern writ large on his face. “Surely you don’t mean the United Nations?” he asked. “No,” said John Fontanelli, “I don’t mean the United Nations.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“And in the world of power you have to follow the rules of power, and whether you like it or not, one of these rules is to brag. You must impress others, show them their place. You have to become the biggest gorilla in the pack, the alpha male who is followed by everyone else.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“Nature throws living beings into this world and they must survive. The weak will perish and the strong will thrive. That is the law of nature, the aristocratic principle of life itself. Nature knows no contraception it knows only overabundance and the destruction of that which is not capable of survival. Only those worthy of surviving, survive. That’s the way nature wants”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“Do you realize that Hitler wanted to the same thing as you?” John gasped. “What do you mean?” “To safeguard humanity’s future, of course! That is the goal he was working for. He knew the world was limited in size that it could not be enough for all and that there must be a fight for space and natural resources. And he had understood that this struggle was natural, that the races had to prove themselves and that it was only this struggle that kept them strong.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“You know, I ask myself what wealthy people do all day. What do you do when you aren’t forced to work but still need the feeling that life must have some kind of meaning?”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“Es ist immer dasselbe. Die Titanic sinkt, aber das Orchester spielt weiter, [...]Nur das es diesmal überhaut keine Rettungsboote gibt.”
― Andreas Eschbach, Ausgebrannt

“Er sah hoch zu dem Fenster, hinter dem der alte Mann auf den Tod wartete, und fühlte sich von einem tiefen Einverständnis durchströmt. Was immer Sie tun, es wird das Richtige sein. »Gehen wir«, sagt er.”
― Andreas Eschbach, Eine Billion Dollar

“Did the fleet of the Empire have that ability—to destroy an entire solar system?” Yes, Emparak thought. They did it often enough.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers

“The actual explosives are the slower developments, like an increasing world population, increased industrialization, climate change, and so forth.”
― Andreas Eschbach, One Trillion Dollars: An absolutely gripping page turning thriller about a man who inherits a life-changing fortune

“The politics of the day didn't interest her. What captivated her were historical events and developments and the millennia that preceded them.”
― Andreas Eschbach, The Carpet Makers