austria

"A.E.I.O.U."

"Bella gerant alii; tu, felix Austria, nube: Nam quæ Mars aliis, dat tibi regna Venus."

"There is not one of the peoples or provinces that constituted the Empire of the Hapsburgs to whom gaining their independence has not brought the tortures which ancient poets and theologians had reserved for the damned. The noble capital of Vienna, the home of so much long-defended culture and tradition, the centre of so many roads, rivers, and railways, was left stark and starving, like a great emporium in an impoverished district whose inhabitants have mostly departed."

"Our difficulties with the Russians increased, but I never really blamed Konev. He obviously was merely carrying out instructions. He even had a sense of humor about it occasionally. Once when we were discussing Austrian politics, the name of the Communist party leader, Ernst Fischer, was mentioned. Jokingly, I said: "Well, I don't like him because he is a Communist." Konev grunted. "That's fine," he said. "I don't like him either because he's an Austrian Communist.""

"Long live Germany. Long live Argentina. Long live Austria. These are the three countries with which I have been most connected and which I will not forget. I greet my wife, my family and my friends. I am ready. We'll meet again soon, as is the fate of all men. I die believing in God."

"The conduct of the Austrian people during the ten long years they have labored under the heavy burden of foreign occupation has commanded the profound respect of all the American people. I am confident that the many ties which bind our two peoples together will continue to constitute the basis for ever friendly relations between Austria and the United States. As a country dedicated to the fundamental principles of freedom and liberty, the United States will ever maintain an interest in the independence of Austria. The American people are proud and happy at the prospect of Austria being able to play her full part in world affairs with dignity, self-respect, and freedom."

"Is the Austrian government pursuing some sort of ‘enlightenment from above’ at the expense of a free and open inquiry? Do Austrian taxpayers need an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth’ to present them with a selection of trustworthy media reports and a public list of heretics, dissenters, and scapegoats?"

"Austria's two achievements were to have persuaded the world that Hitler was German and that Beethoven was Viennese."

"Austria-Hungary was a great asset of the Catholic Church and the ultimate hope of all true "reactionaries," as they were then considered. "Progressive" people from all parts of Europe felt their political herd instincts outraged and insulted by the mere existence of this irrational, national mosaic. Diversity was the keynote of Austria-Hungary. Twelve nationalities lived together in comparative harmony under a monarch who enjoyed such great moral prestige because he was (besides the Church) the truly uniting bond. It is hardly a question that this second largest European state would have survived to our very days if the World War had not offered an opportunity to the nationalistic middle classes to throw off the yoke of the benevolent Habsburgs with the help of the Allies, and to exchange it (after a short interlude) for the sweet yoke of another Austrian, a good deal less scrupulous in the methods of government."

"The situation is serious but not hopeless."

"There is no question of ever accepting Nazi representatives in the Austrian cabinet. An absolute abyss separates Austria from Nazism. We do not like arbitrary power, we want law to rule our freedom. We reject uniformity and centralization. ... Christendom is anchored in our very soil, and we know but one God: and that is not the State, or the Nation, or that elusive thing, Race. Our children are God’s children, not to be abused by the State. We abhor terror; Austria has always been a humanitarian state. As a people, we are tolerant by predisposition. Any change now, in our "status quo", could only be for the worse."

"I was born in Vienna, I grew up in Vienna, I went to school in Vienna, I graduated in Vienna, I studied in Vienna, I started my career in Vienna, I did theatre for the first time in Vienna, I did film for the first time in Vienna. There are also a few other Viennese details... But how much more Austrian can you get?"

"I'm not German, I'm Austrian and Austrians have a wonderful sense of humour, Germans, not so much."