18 May 2011

Culture

Les Allemands avaient Schiller, Goethe, Beethoven, les Simbas du Congo ne les avaient pas. La différence entre les Allemands héritiers d’une immense culture et les Simbas incultes, c’est que les Simbas mangeaient leurs victimes, tandis que les Allemands les transformaient en savon. Ce besoin de propreté, c’est la culture.
Romain Gary, La Danse de Gengis Cohn
The Germans had Schiller, Goethe, and Beethoven; the Simbas of the Congo did not have them. The difference between the Germans who inherited a great cultural tradition and the uncultured Simbas is that the Simbas would eat their victims while the Germans would turn them into soap. This need for cleanliness is what makes for culture.
(loosely translated by me)

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