Patriot of Another Country

 
    July, of course, celebrates American Independence Day.  Demonstrations of patriotism will abound. There are patriotic posts scattered throughout this blog. 

     This July, the blog is looking at quotes from a German patriot, Chancellor Otto von Bismark of the old German Empire.  I never used to seek out Bismark quotes because I thought his militarism (which united the Germans under the Prussians) was a big factor in the long-term problems Germany created, via starting two world wars.   

     Bismark lived from 1815-1898.  Though he served as Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871-1890, when he began his career, there was no unified Germany.  There was a collection of princedoms and kingdoms that all spoke German dialects.  (The High German standardized initially by Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into German in the 1500s was also known across these principalities.)

     There had been movements to unify Germany in peaceful ways.  These movements had democratic unification in mind.  Most notable were student movements of 1848.  When these failed, many of the more democratic-minded young Germans fled to the US or Canada.

     Eventually, German was forcefully and militarily unified under the German Kaisers, with Otto von Bismark heading these efforts for a time.  Ultimately, Kaiser Wilhelm II's vanity would not allow him to share power nor the public stage with Bismark, who was forced into retirement.  Wilhelm did not rule well without Bismark to guide and restrain him.  Wilhelms decisions and pride led Germany into World War I and the end of the Prussian monarchy.

Caricature of Bismark by William Stolz, d. 1893 (Public Domain)

     In looking at Bismark, however, it turns out there was far more to him than militarism.  Scattered across the internet are interesting quotes attributed to Bismark.  It is very difficult in this case to track down when and in what circumstances he said each.

     As I curated this list, I tried to group them by topic, bridged by attributed quotes that covered the previous and the next topic:

     

• That which is imposing here on earth has always something of the quality of the fallen angel who is beautiful but without peace, great in his conceptions and exertions but without success, proud and lonely. 
• Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
•  Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others.
•  What we learn from History is that no one learns from History.
•  A really great man is known by three signs-generosity in the design, humanity in the execution, moderation in success.
•  Man cannot control the current of events. he can only float with them and steer.
•  The life of a man is like a game of chess, which he plays according to his art.
•  Life is like being at the dentist. You always think that the worst is still to come, and yet it is over already.
•  A bad plan that is well executed will yield much better results than a good plan that is poorly executed.
•  Love is blind; friendship tries not to notice.
•  Hounds follow those who feed them.
•  I have never lived on principles. When I have had to act, I never first asked myself on what principles I was going to act, but I went at it and did what I thought fit. I have often reproached myself for my want of principle.
•  When you want to fool the world, tell the truth.
•  People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt.
•  Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.
•  Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war. 
• A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one.
•  A little caution outflanks a large cavalry.
•  Woe to the leader whose arguments at the end of a war are not as plausible as they were at the beginning.
•  Show me an objective worthy of war and I will go along with you.
•  You can do everything with bayonets, but you are not able to sit on them.

       Otto von Bismarck in Retirement, 1881
(Public Domain)