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Words of Wisdom

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach: “Be patient with the simple-minded”

“Be patient with the belligerence of the simple-minded. It is not easy to understand that one doesn’t understand.” -Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 19th century Austrian novelist

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916) was an Austrian writer who is highly regarded as one of the greatest German-language authors of her era. While she’s best remembered for her psychological novels, Von Ebner-Eschenbach was also an accomplished dramatist and writer of short stories. In 1900, she received the first honorary doctorate conferred to a woman by the University of Vienna. 


“Be patient with the belligerence of the simple-minded. It is not easy to understand that one doesn’t understand.”

from Aphorisms (1880/1893), as translated by D. Scrase and W. Mieder (Riverside, California: 1994)

(h/t Wikiquote)


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