Edward Newman

“Held together by nothing more than the animator’s imagination, this cubistic figure is perhaps Ginster’s closest relative in the culture of the 1920s: to paraphrase Roth, “Ginster in Kracauer’s novel, that’s Charlot in Ballet mécanique.” Not only does Léger’s Charlot fling his limbs in ways that recall the comedic scenes of Ginster learning to march or salute his superior officers. Both on screen and in Kracauer’s novel, body parts appear as exaggerated shapes or in close-ups and behave autonomously as if to question the unifying force of outdated notions such as consciousness, individuality, organic wholeness. In any event, this is how Ginster experiences his military training: “Continually up, then down, as if one were a toy a mother picks up so her infant can fling it out of the carriage again. Oftentimes regaining the upright state was immediately followed by marching. The legs were supposed to be hurled out from the body with such force that they flew across the entire barracks grounds—which would not have been so bad, quite the contrary, Ginster would have liked to liberate if not himself then at least a few body parts—but scarcely were the legs up in the air when they were forced back down to earth. He was still sensing how they detached themselves from him and already they were crashing down.”
― Siegfried Kracauer, Ginster

“They had felt their own power and saw in Lincoln the means of delivery from an administration that had brought “treachery, imbecility, and rascality” into their lives. It was time to rescue the republic from “the anarchy which has disgraced this great people in the eyes of the whole world.”121”
― Ted Widmer, Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington

“Two legal maxims often helped guide their opinions: salus populi suprema lex est (“the welfare of the people is the supreme law”) and sic utere tuo (“so use your right that you injure not the rights of others”).”
― Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848

“Those early sessions were dominated by the problem of feeding Berlin’s inhabitants. All agreed that the neediest should get the most calories, but there was no consensus over who was most in need. The Soviets said it was the professional classes, including political leaders, while Howley insisted it was the elderly and infirm. Turning to his Soviet counterpart, he said, “You can’t kick a lady when she’s down.” The Russian flashed him an indulgent smile. “Why[,] my dear Colonel Howley,” he replied, “that is exactly the best time to kick them.”
― Giles Milton, Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World