Skip to content

Evil knows of the Good, but Good does not know of Evil. Knowledge of oneself is something only Evil has. - The First Octavo Notebook

— Franz Kafka The Blue Octavo Notebooks (1954)

Das Böse weiß vom Guten, aber das Gute vom Bösen nicht. Selbsterkenntnis hat nur das Böse. - Die Acht Oktavhefte; published by BookRix, 9-8-2014.

Original text (German)

Another quote →

More quotes by Franz Kafka

I can prove at any time that my education tried to make another person out of me than the one I became.

The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1910-1923 (1948)

If you only followed the parables you yourselves would become parables and with that rid of all your daily cares.

The Complete Stories (1971)

Plenty of hope — for God — no end of hope — only not for us.

In conversation with Max Brod (1920)

What an obstacle had suddenly arisen to block K.'s career!

The Trial (1920)

Logic may indeed be unshakeable, but it cannot withstand a man who is determined to live.

The Trial (1920)

All Franz Kafka quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Franz Kafka (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.