Quotes by Richard Wagner

“Though physiologists are still divided as to whether Man was meant by Nature to feed exclusively on fruits, or also upon flesh-meat, from its first faint glimmerings History shews Man's constant pr...”

“Attack and defence, want and war, victory and defeat, lordship and thraldom, all sealed with the seal of blood: this from henceforth is the History of Man.”

“From of old, amid the rage of robbery and blood-lust, it came to wise men's consciousness that the human race was suffering from a malady which necessarily kept it in progressive deterioration. Man...”

“That it must have been hunger alone, which first drove man to slay the animals and feed upon their flesh and blood; and that this compulsion was no mere consequence of his removal into colder clime...”

“As we began with a general outline of the effects produced by the human beast of prey upon world-History, it now may be of service to return to the attempts to counteract them and find again the lo...”

“Property has acquired an almost greater sacredness in our social conscience than religion: for offence against the latter there is lenience, for damage to the former no forgiveness. Since Property ...”

“Clever though be the many thoughts expressed by mouth or pen about the invention of money and its enormous value as a civiliser, against such praises should be set the curse to which it has always ...”

“This possibility, of always drawing from the pristine fount of our own nature, that makes us feel ourselves no more a race, no mere variety of man, but one of Manhood's primal branches, — 'tis this...”

“What Conservatives, Liberals and Conservative-liberals, and finally Democrats, Socialists, or even Social-democrats etc., have lately uttered on the Jewish Question, must seem to us a trifle foolis...”

“This is Alberich's dream come true — Nibelheim, world dominion, activity, work, everywhere the oppressive feeling of steam and fog.”

“I am writing Parsifal only for my wife — if I had to depend on the German spirit, I should have nothing more to say.”

“Certain things in Mozart will and can never be excelled.”

“Oh, I hate the thought of all those costumes and grease paint! When I think that characters like Kundry will now have to be dressed up, those dreadful artists' balls immediately spring into my mind...”

“It should not be presumed that these people (the Jews), who are so separated from us by their religion, have any right to make our laws. But why blame the Jews? It is we who lack all feeling for ou...”

“Music has taken a bad turn; these young people have no idea how to write a melody, they just give us shavings, which they dress up to look like a lion's mane and shake at us... It's as if they avoi...”

“Fürchtest du ein Lied, ein Bild?”

“Wohl kenn ich Weibes heil'ge Pflichten;sei drum gestrost, unsel'ger Mann!Lass über die das Schicksal richten,die seinem Spruche trotzen kann!In meines Herzens höchster Reinekenn ich der Treue Hochg...”

“Die in linder Lüfte weh'n da oben ihr lebt, lacht und liebt:mit gold'ner Faust euch Göttliche fang' ich mir alle!Wie ich der Liebe abgesagt,Alles was lebt soll ihr entsagen!Mit Golde gekirrt, nach ...”

“Der durch Verträge ich Herr, den Verträgen bin ich nun Knecht.”

“Zum Ekel find' ich ewig nur mich in Allem was ich erwirke; das And're, das ich ersehne, das And're erseh' ich nie: denn selbst muß der Freie sich schaffen; Knechte erknet' ich mir nur.”