Quotes & anectdotes from
the wise,
the foolish,
the courageous &
the drunk

Hannah Arendt Philosopher

  • Gender: Female
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Oct 14, 1906
  • Died: Dec 4, 1975

Johanna "Hannah" Arendt was a German-born political theorist. Though often described as a philosopher, she rejected that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular" and instead described herself as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact that "men, not Man, live on the earth and inhabit the world." An assimilated Jew, she escaped Europe during the Holocaust and became an American citizen. Her works deal with the nature of power, and the subjects of politics, direct democracy, authority, and totalitarianism. The Hannah Arendt Prize is named in her honor.

Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight.

By its very nature the beautiful is isolated from everything else. From beauty no road leads to reality.

In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism.

This is the precept by which I have lived: Prepare for the worst expect the best and take what comes.

To be free in an age like ours, one must be in a position of authority. That in itself would be enough to make me ambitious.

The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.

War has become a luxury that only small nations can afford.

Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.

Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.