July 10, 2020
the devil is an optimist
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans meaner."
This is a quote by Karl Kraus, an Austrian journalist, satirist, and fierce critic of what he called "journaille".
It appeared in his satirical magazine "Die Fackel" ("the torch"), published and edited by Kraus himself between 1899 and 1936.
Der Teufel ist ein Optimist, wenn er glaubt, dass er die Menschen schlechter machen kann.
tThe dDevil iIs aAn oOptimist
My impulse is to also capitalize devil below since in this context, he's the Devil, the Christian figure. But if the quote is someone else's translation, of course it doesn't change.
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans meaner.
"
This is a quote by Karl Kraus, an Austrian journalist, satirist, and fierce critic of what he called "journaille".
It appeared in histhe satirical magazine "Die Fackel" ("tThe tTorch"), which Kraus himself published and edited by Kraus himself between 1899 and 1936.
Your original version was grammatically correct. This is what I'd write if I were writing the sentence, however. The "himself" indicates that it was his magazine.
tThe devil is an optimist
I would also capitalize "devil" as it is presumably a specific reference to Satan. See for example the description here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008-5.pdf
However, other sources seem to use the lowercase: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/05/style-guide-for-religion/371813/
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans meaner.
"
This is a quote by Karl Kraus, an Austrian journalist, satirist, and fierce critic of what he called "journaille".
It appeared in his satirical magazine "Die Fackel" ("tThe tTorch"), published and edited by Kraus himself between 1899 and 1936.
July 11, 2020
I think "mean" could work in the sense of "low quality" or "bad" (cf. the first few definitions on Wiktionary), but it'd be on the more literary or formal side.
tThe devil is an optimist
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans meaner.
"Mean" is a rather mild word that is often used by children.
I don't know the exact connotations of "schlechter", but here are some possible stronger alternatives:
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans more evil than they are."
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans more immoral."
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans worse than they are."
"
This is a quote by Karl Kraus, an Austrian journalist, satirist, and fierce critic of what he called "journaille".
It appeared in his satirical magazine "Die Fackel" ("the torch"), published and edited by Kraus himself between 1899 and 1936.
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Very nice work!
July 11, 2020
"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans meaner.
I think "mean" could work in the sense of "low quality" or "bad" (cf. the first few definitions on Wiktionary), but it'd be on the more literary or formal side.
July 11, 2020
You're right. When I initially read the sentence, I defaulted to the more modern meaning referring to unkind behavior.
July 11, 2020
Thank you!
I assumed the contrary - that "mean" is stronger than "bad". I never stop learning...
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the devil is an optimist
I would also capitalize "devil" as it is presumably a specific reference to Satan. See for example the description here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008-5.pdf However, other sources seem to use the lowercase: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/05/style-guide-for-religion/371813/
My impulse is to also capitalize devil below since in this context, he's the Devil, the Christian figure. But if the quote is someone else's translation, of course it doesn't change. |
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"The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans meaner. "The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans meaner. "Mean" is a rather mild word that is often used by children. I don't know the exact connotations of "schlechter", but here are some possible stronger alternatives: "The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans more evil than they are." "The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans more immoral." "The devil is an optimist if he believes that he can make humans worse than they are." This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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" This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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This is a quote by Karl Kraus, an Austrian journalist, satirist, and fierce critic of what he called "journaille". This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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It appeared in his satirical magazine "Die Fackel" ("the torch"), published and edited by Kraus himself between 1899 and 1936. This sentence has been marked as perfect! It appeared in his satirical magazine "Die Fackel" (" It appeared in Your original version was grammatically correct. This is what I'd write if I were writing the sentence, however. The "himself" indicates that it was his magazine. |
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