Democracy divides people into workers and loafers. It makes no provision for those who have no time to work.
Karl KrausRead
Children play soldier. That makes sense. But why do soldiers play children?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the juxtaposition of innocence and warfare, questioning the motives behind the actions of adults who engage in violent roles.
Karl Kraus's quote highlights a profound observation about the nature of play and the roles we assume in life. While children innocently engage in imaginative play as soldiers, the quote draws attention to the unsettling idea that adults—the soldiers in reality—often adopt roles that strip away this innocence, suggesting a loss of morality or perspective in the adults' behavior. This reflects on the complexities of war and the often blurred lines between childhood innocence and adult roles in violence.
Themes
ChildrenSoldiersInnocenceViolencePlay
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of war on society, this quote could illustrate the loss of innocence in children.
More from Karl Kraus
All quotes →The mission of the press is to spread culture while destroying the attention span.
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War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost.
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Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match.
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Experiences are savings which a miser puts aside. Wisdom is an inheritance which a wastrel cannot exhaust.
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Sexuality poorly repressed unsettles some families; well repressed, it unsettles the whole world.
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