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Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match.
Karl Kraus
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Stupidity is a powerful and destructive force that can surpass natural disasters.

Karl Kraus suggests that stupidity, as a fundamental force of human nature, can cause more chaos and destruction than even the most catastrophic natural events. This highlights the idea that the consequences of foolishness and ignorance can be deeply impactful and sometimes more damaging than physical calamities.

Themes

StupidityForceDestructionChaosIgnorance

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech on education reform, one might say: 'As Karl Kraus wisely pointed out, stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match.'

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Democracy divides people into workers and loafers. It makes no provision for those who have no time to work.
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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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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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My unconscious knows more about the consciousness of the psychologist than his consciousness knows about my unconscious.
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