Hans-Georg Gadamer's Quotes

The focus of subjectivity is a distorting mirror.

Nothing exists except through language.

Long before we understand ourselves through the process of self-examination, we understand ourselves in a self-evident way in the family, society and state in which we live.

In fact history does not belong to us; but we belong to it.

It was clear to me that the forms of consciousness of our inherited and acquired historical education - aesthetic consciousness and historical consciousness - presented alienated forms of our true historical being.

I basically only read books that are over 2,000 years old.

The real being of language is that into which we are taken up when we hear it - what is said.

It is one of the primary motives of modern art that it wants to abolish the distance which the viewer, the consumer, the audience maintain vis-a-vis a work of art.

The more language is a living operation, the less we are aware of it. Thus it follows from the self-forgetfulness of language that its real being consists in what is said in it.

I cannot recognise either the Palestinian state or the Israeli state. The Palestinians are idiots and the Israelis are idiots.

There must be a world revolution which puts an end to all materialistic conditions hindering woman from performing her natural role in life and driving her to carry out man's duties in order to be equal in rights.

I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa and the imam of Muslims, and my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level.

Nations whose nationalism is destroyed are subject to ruin.

I am a Bedouin warrior who brought glory to Libya and will die a martyr.

Those who do not love me do not deserve to live.

We have been terrorised by what happened in America and we express our condolences to the American people who suffered from this unexpected catastrophe and a new world war.

There is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet.

I do not support peace in the Middle East. And I do not support Arafat. He is a stupid, incompetent fool!

Libya has had to put up with too much from the Arabs for whom it has poured forth both blood and money.

We are telling the American people to have patience, courage, resolve and determination.

All right, then nobody can complain if we ask pregnant women to make parachute jumps.

The times of Arab nationalism and unity are gone forever. These ideas which mobilized the masses are only a worthless currency. Libya has had to put up with too much from the Arabs for whom it has poured forth both blood and money.