"The régime was overthrown, and I'm not going to pretend it was me who overthrew it. A general liquidation is in full swing, and I'm not going to join in. I've become a spectator. And I'm not even spectating from the front rows in the stalls but from somewhere up in the gods. Maybe I'm worn out, but it could be that I never truly believed in what I believed. That would be the unseemlier alternative, because then they would have smashed my ear in for no reason at all. That is the assumption I'm inclining to these days. I did time for no reason, dragged the millstone of a police record around for no reason, was on probation for years for no reason, and I'm no hero, I merely botched up my life."
React to this quote
More by Imre Kertész
See allResonant Thoughts
"I was thirteen when I had a Voice from God for my help and guidance. The first time that I heard this Voice, I was very much frightened; it was mid-day, in the summer, in my father's garden. I had not…"
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"Anarchy is not a matter of the future; it is a matter of the present. It is not a matter of making demands;…"
— Gustav Landauer"It is time for Britain to take control of its own destiny"
— David Davis"We live in stormy and unsettled times. Hence we may confer a benefit, not only on ourselves, but on others,…"
— Ernst"It is mankind's discovery of language which more than any other single thing has separated him from the ani…"
— Robertson Davies"I was MARRIED for TWO FUCKING YEARS! Hell would be like Club Med!"
— Sam Kinison"Bearing babies irresponsibly is simply wrong. We must be unequivocal about this. It doesn't help matters wh…"
— Dan Quayle