As Hegel put it, only when it is dark does the owl of Minerva begin its flight. Only in extinction is the collector comprehend.
Walter BenjaminWe collect books in the belief that we are preserving them when in fact it is the books that preserve their collector.
Walter BenjaminOnly he who can view his own past as an abortion sprung from compulsion and need can use it to full advantage in the present.
Walter BenjaminThe art of the critic in a nutshell: to coin slogans without betraying ideas. The slogans of an inadequate criticism peddle ideas to fashion.
Walter Benjamin