I find so much writing colourless, small in its means, unwilling to take stylistic risks. Often it goes wrong; I am not the one to judge. Sometimes, I hope, it goes right. George Steiner colourlessfindhope Change image and share on social
We know that a man can read Goethe or Rilke in the evening, that he can play Bach and Schubert, and go to his day's work at Auschwitz in the morning. George Steiner auschwitzbachday Change image and share on social
The journalistic vision sharpens to the point of maximum impact every event, every individual and social configuration; but the honing is uniform. George Steiner configurationeventhone Change image and share on social
It took 10 months for me to learn to tie a lace; I must have howled with rage and frustration. But one day I could tie my laces. That no one can take from you. I profoundly distrust the pedagogy of ease. George Steiner daydistrustease share on social
I learned early on that 'rabbi' means teacher, not priest. George Steiner earlylearnmean Change image and share on social
Language can only deal meaningfully with a special, restricted segment of reality. The rest, and it is presumably the much larger part, is silence. George Steiner deallanguagelarge Change image and share on social
Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely. The notion that it is the occasion for our cleverness fills me with baffled bitterness and anger. George Steiner actangerbaffle Change image and share on social
I have students who are now in chairs in five continents. They invite me to their inaugurals. A tremendous reward. George Steiner chaircontinentinaugural Change image and share on social
I have every reason to believe that an individual man or woman fluent in several tongues seduces, possesses, remembers differently according to his or her use of the relevant language. George Steiner differentlyfluentindividual Change image and share on social
I'm sorry, I'm absolutely convinced that there is at the moment no realistic prospect for very much hope in human affairs. George Steiner absolutelyaffairconvince Change image and share on social
