Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heinewas a German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Liederby composers such as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. Heine's later verse and prose are distinguished by their satirical wit and irony. He is considered part of the Young Germany movement. His radical political views led to many of his works being banned by German authorities. Heine spent...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth13 December 1797
CountryGermany
The weather-cock on the church spire, though made of iron, would soon be broken by the storm-wind if it... did not understand the noble art of turning to every wind.
There is no Sixth Commandment in art. The poet is entitled to lay his hands on whatever material he finds necessary for his work.
Reason exercises merely the function of preserving order, is, so to say, the police in the region of art. In life it is mostly a cold arithmetician summing up our follies.
Photography is a witness against the mistaken opinion that art is an imitation of nature.
Nothing is sillier than this charge of plagiarism. There is no sixth commandment in art. The poet dare help himself wherever he lists, wherever he finds material suited to his work. He may even appropriate entire columns with their carved capitals, if the temple he thus supports be a beautiful one. Goethe understood this very well, and so did Shakespeare before him.
The artist is the child in the popular fable, every one of whose tears was a pearl.
Poverty sits by the cradle of all our great men, and rocks them up to manhood; and this meager foster-mother remains their faithful companion throughout life
We should forgive our enemies, but only after they have been hanged first.
Whether a revolutions succeeds or fails people of great hearts will always be sacrificed to it.
Wherever they burn books they will also end up burning people.
If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found the time to conquer the world
One should forgive one's enemies, but not before they are hanged
Of course God will forgive me; that's His job.
The Wedding March always reminds me of the music played when soldiers go into battle.