11 quotes
The good man believed that shortsighted people were also deaf and that their spectacles would become clearer if their ears heard more sharply.
The Radetzky March (1932)
I’ve grown old; he has merely lived for many years.
The Radetzky March (1932)
But old age was approaching with cruel, hushed steps and sometimes in crafty disguises.
The Radetzky March (1932)
He was convinced—but whom could he tell?—that ten good sergeants are a lot more useful than twenty general-staff officers.
The Radetzky March (1932)
He could never have put it into words, but we may say that he was unspeakably afflicted by the thought of having been a tool in the hands of misfortune.
The Radetzky March (1932)
Life seemed to flow along more swiftly than thoughts. And before he even made a decision he was an old man.
The Radetzky March (1932)
For life became easy as soon as you drank. Oh, miracle of this borderland! It made life hard for a sober man, but whom did it leave sober?
The Radetzky March (1932)
In those days an Austrian district captain like Herr von Trotta would have been less shaken by the news of the sudden death of his only child than by the news of even a seemingly dishonorable action of that only child.
The Radetzky March (1932)
It was the face of a woman who had grown old but was still beautiful. Indeed, the nurse’s coif rejuvenated her, as it does all women, because it is in their nature to be rejuvenated by kindness and compassion and also by the external insignia of compassion.
The Radetzky March (1932)
And for the first time in his very long life he realized how hard it is to be helpless yet maintain one’s dignity. This insight struck him like a lightning bolt, shattering the pride that he had so carefully nurtured and fostered for such a long time, that he had inherited and was determined to pass down.
The Radetzky March (1932)
He calmly fell asleep, believing the worst was over. He did not know—old Herr Trotta—that fate was brewing bitter grief for him while he slept. He was old and tired, and death was already lurking, but life would not yet let him go. Like a cruel host it held him fast at the table because he had not yet tasted all the bitterness that had been prepared for him.
The Radetzky March (1932)