All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front Quotes

Paul Bäumer: War isn't the way it looks back here.


"Paul Bäumer: We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all.

[first lines]

Man cleaning doorknob: Thirty thousand.

Maid: From the Russians?

Man cleaning doorknob: No, from the French. From the Russians we capture more than that every day.

[first title card]

Title card: This story is neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war...

Albert Kropp: Ah, the French certainly deserve to be punished for starting this war.

Detering: Everybody says it's somebody else.

Tjaden: Well. how do they start a war?

Albert Kropp: Well, one country offends another.

Tjaden: How could one country offend another?

Tjaden: You mean there's a mountain over in Germany gets mad at a field over in France?
[Everyone laughs]

Albert Kropp: Well, stupid, one people offends another.

Tjaden: Oh, well, if that's it, I shouldn't be here at all. I don't feel offended.

Katczinsky: It don't apply to tramps like you.

Tjaden: Good. Then I could be goin' home right away.
Paul Bäumer: Ah, you just try it.

Katczinsky: Yeah. You wanna get shot?

Tjaden: The kaiser and me...
[the others laugh]

Tjaden: Me and the kaiser felt just alike about this war. We didn't either of us want any war, so I'm going home. He's there already.

Hair-peak soldier: Somebody must have wanted it. Maybe it was the English. No, I don't want to shoot any Englishman. I never saw one 'til I came up here. And I suppose most of them never saw a German 'til *they* came up here. No, I'm sure *they* weren't asked about it.
Paul Bäumer: No.

Detering: Well, it must be doing somebody some good.

Detering: Not me and the kaiser.

Hair-peak soldier: I think maybe the kaiser wanted a war.

Tjaden

Franz Kemmerich: [after risking his life to bring back Behn] He's dead!... He's dead!

Katczinsky: [angrily] Why did you risk your life bringin' him in?

Franz Kemmerich: [very upset] But it's Behn! My friend!

Katczinsky: He's a corpse - no matter who it is...
[to the others]

Katczinsky: Now, don't any of you ever do that again!

Katczinsky: [entering and seeing the new recruits] What is this?

Tjaden: [sarcastically] Volunteers for the future general's staff.

Katczinsky: [to the recruits] Oh, sometime I'm gonna take one of you volunteers apart and find out what makes you leave school and join the army. At ease. This is no parade ground.

Katczinsky: I'll tell you how it should all be done.
[spits]

Katczinsky: Whenever there's a big war comin' on, you should rope off a big field...

Cigar-smoking soldier: And sell tickets.

Katczinsky: Yeah. And -
[glares at interrupter]

Katczinsky: And on the big day, you should take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put 'em in the center dressed in their underpants, and let 'em fight it out with clubs. The best country wins.
[everybody murmurs in agreement]
Paul Bäumer: Well, now that Kat's settled everything, let's go see Kemmerick.

Mueller: Listen, the sum of an arithmetic series is S = A + L times N over 2. Interesting, isn't it?

Katczinsky: What do you want to learn that stuff for...? One day you'll stop a bullet and it'll all be worthless.

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