“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”
“[…] German s are more incomprehensible […] more full of contradictions, more unknown, more incalculable, more surprising […] than other peoples are – they elude definition […] Foreigners are astonished and drawn by the enigmas which the contradictory nature at the bottom of the German soul propounds to them.”
“Madness is something rare in individuals – but in groups, parties, peoples, ages, it is the rule.”
“I regard a person’s relationship with a (nation) state as a business matter, akin to one’s relationship to a life insurance company.” (1916)
“I am by heritage a Jew, by citizenship a Swiss, and by disposition a human being, and only a human being, without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoever.” (1918)
“Of all the communities available to us, there is not one I would want to devote myself to except for the society of the true seekers, which has very few living members at any one time.” (1924)
“Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my awareness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has prevented me from feelings of isolation.” (1932)
“Although I try to be universal in thought, I am European by instinct and inclination.” (1933)
About the United States: “Their sense of equality and human dignity is mainly limited to men of white skin […] this situation pains me.” (1946) “Brutality and lies are everywhere.” (1950) “The German calamity of years ago repeats itself [in the U.S.]: people acquiesce without resistance and align themselves with the forces of evil.” (1951)
“Fear or stupidity has always been the basis of most human actions.” (1954)
“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” (1929)
“National loyalty is limiting; men and women must be taught to think in world terms.” (1935)
“If the idea of world government is not realistic, then there is only one realistic view of our future: wholesale destruction of man by man.” (1948)
“Mankind can be saved only if a supranational system, based on law, is created to eliminate the methods of brute force.” (1950)