The Trial Quotes

“I see, these books are probably law books, and it is an essential part of the justice dispensed here that you should be condemned not only in innocence but also in ignorance.”
― Franz Kafka, The Trial

“Everyone strives to attain the Law,' answers the man, 'how does it come about, then, that in all these years no one has come seeking admittance but me?' The doorkeeper perceives that the man is nearing his end and his hearing is failing, so he bellows in his ear: 'No one but you could gain admittance through this door, since this door was intended for you. I am now going to shut it.”
― Kafka, Franz

“...مش انت واحد مننا ؟؟

و عمرك في يوم ما سرقتنا

...ولا خدت مليم مننا

ما تيجي طب ترجعلنا

تقعد بأهلك وسطنا

أهو مرة تاكل أكلنا

وتلبس يا خويا من لبسنا

وتعيش في حارة او في شارع زينا

قلت ايه ؟؟ يا حارق دمنا

سيادة المخلوع ... ارجعلنا

وغداك يا سيدي عندي أنا

رز و بطاطس مسرطنة

لحمة ؟؟... مفيش من سنة

فاكهة ؟؟... تعيش انت و أنا

و الشاي .. بآخر معلقة م السكر اللي كان عندنا

اشرب و فوق وركز بقه .. علشان نكمل حكينا

سيادة الرئيس ... ارجعلنا

مش سبت الحكم .. لأجلنا ؟؟ـ

ما تيجي تسمع حكمنا !!ـ

أفكرك ؟؟ ولا انت فاكر زينا

قطار اتحرق من كام سنة

وغازنا اللي طار من أرضنا ... لعدونا

وعبارة مللي بيغرقوا ..!! غرقت في عرض البحر و راحوا أهلنا ... و الجاني فلسع مننا

ومركبة بأحلى شباب ... ييجوا من ايطاليا غرقانين .. والقرش ياكل لحمنا

والله كانوا زينا

ويمكن أحسن مننا

لهم بيوت و ولاد و عيشة و حلم .. زي حلمنا

اتغربوا و اتبهدلوا .. لما الفساد طال كل حاجة في أرضنا

واللي ما ماتش .. قاعد في غربته .. والغريب بيذلنا

اقول كمان ؟؟ ولا كفاية ... و اهو انت عارف عننا

أصبر هتسمع حكمنا

سيادة الرئيس ... ارجعلنا

ولو انت واحد مننا

فعلا يهمك أمرنا

يلا بينا عالنائب العام .. تفتنله على ولاد الحرام ... مصوا بلدنا و دمنا

و افتن دي فتنة مش حرام .. ده حقنا

دا لو انت واحد مننا

أصبر هتسمع حكمنا

سيادة الرئيس ... ارجعلنا

اقعد معانا و زينا

هعرفك .....ـ

دي (أم خالد) أمنا

ودول أهل (سالي) أهلنا

و(عمر بن بنونة ) إبننا

فسر و احكي و قللهم .. و قللنا

واستسمح الروح اللي منورة في الجنة عند ربنا

هتقول مكنش قصدنا ؟؟ـ

دول ماتوا غصب عننا ؟؟ـ

كداب و فاجر .. و اللي يصدقك زيك .. والكدب ريحته منتنة

تتشل إيد اللي ضرب ،، و اللي أمر ،، و عليكوا لعنة ربنا

أصبر هتسمع حكما

أيوه بقول ارجع لنا

ياللي سرقت حلمنا

وغربتنا و نهبتنا ... و في كل حتة أهنتنا

إحنا اللي سال دمنا

في الأربعين و اسكندرية و التحرير يشهدلنا

آدي القفص ... أقف هنا

والشعب يحكم .. مش أنا

صدقني ... هي بينة

من فوق سبع سماوات .. قالها ربنا

العين بالعين والسن بالسن ... و هو دا بقه حكمنا ... و مفيش غيره عندنا”
― أحمد فؤاد نجم

“About some books we feel that our reluctance to return to them is the true measure of our admiration. It is hard to suppose that many people go back, from a spontaneous desire, to reread 1984: there is neither reason nor need to, no one forgets it. The usual distinctions between forgotten details and a vivid general impression mean nothing here, for the book is written out of one passionate breath, each word is bent to a severe discipline of meaning, everything is stripped to the bareness of terror.

Kafka's The Trial is also a book of terror, but it is a paradigm and to some extent a puzzle, so that one may lose oneself in the rhythm of the paradigm and play with the parts of the puzzle. Kafka's novel persuades us that life is inescapably hazardous and problematic, but the very 'universality' of this idea helps soften its impact: to apprehend the terrible on the plane of metaphysics is to lend it an almost soothing aura.”
― Irving Howe, Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four: Text, Sources, Criticism

“They don't make mistakes. Our authorities, as far as I am aware - and I know only the lowest ranks - don't actually look for guilt in the population, but are, as the law says, drawn towards guilt and must send us guards out. That's the law. Where would there be a mistake? 'I don't know this law', said K. 'That's your problem,' said the guard. 'It probably only exists in your minds', said K.”
― Franz Kafka, The Trial

“The way she sits on my lap as if it were her proper place!”
― Franz Kafka, The Trial

“We're only being punished because you reported us. Otherwise nothing would have happened to us, even if they found out what we did. Can that be called justice?”
― Franz Kafka, The Trial

“The scream uttered by Franz rose up in one unchanging note; it did not seem to come from a man but from a tortured instrument”
― Franz Kafka

“Take my warning to heart instead, and don't be so unyielding in future, you can't fight against this court, you must confess to guilt. Make your confession at the first chance you get. Until you do that, there is no possibility of getting out of their clutches, none at all.”
― Franz Kafka, Der Prozess

“The tiredness induced by a long walk expresses itself first in a trancelike state, where insidious, aggressive thoughts bubble up without your realizing it, then in mild hallucinations, before ending in euphoric confusion.

The hypochondriacal obsession. Once all protection is secured, it is from the inside that the body is overexposed to all assaults and disruptions. Against the disorders that ensue there is only the character armour, which does not even allow the signals from the body to show through.

Wariness of one's nearest and dearest, as though they were potential witnesses for the prosecution in your existence, evidence of guilt in a trial that is permanently suspended.

The panda that is having trouble reproducing: they show him porn films to rouse his libido.”
― Jean Baudrillard, Cool Memories V: 2000 - 2004