Henrik Ibsen Quotes

[From below comes the noise of a door slamming.]

It's a liberation to know that an act of spontaneous courage is yet possible in this world. An act that has something of unconditional beauty.

A normally constituted truth lives, let us say, as a rule seventeen or eighteen, or at most twenty years — seldom longer.

I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are — or, at all events, that I must try and become one.

But a scientific man must live in a little bit of style.

Ja, De tvang meg inn under det som De kalte plikt og skyldighet; da De lovpriste som rett og riktig hva hele mitt sinn opprørte seg imot noe vederstyggelig. Da var det jeg begynte å se Deres lærdomme efter i sømmene. Jeg ville bare pille ved en eneste knute; men da jeg hadde fått den løst, så raknet det opp alt sammen. Og så skjønte jeg at det var maskinsøm.

Tar de livsløgnen fra et gjennomsnittsmenneske, så tar du lykken ifra ham med det samme

Tar De livsløgnen fra et gennemsnitsmenneske, så tar De lykken fra ham med det samme.

I don't know whether you find also in your part of the world that there are certain people who go zealously snuffing about to smell out moral corruption, and, as soon as they have found some, put the person concerned into some lucrative position where they can keep their eye on him. Healthy natures are left out in the cold.

The forests avenge themselves.

I am afraid, Torvald, I do not exactly know what religion is. ... When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that matter too. I will see if what the clergyman said is true, or at all events if it is true for me.

You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth.

oh, that was a terrible time for me, I can tell you. I kept the blinds drawn down over both my windows. When I peeped out, I saw the sun shining as if nothing had happened. I could not understand it. I saw people going along the street, laughing and talking about indifferent things. I could not understand it. It seemed to me that the whole of existence must be at a standstill — as if under an eclipse.

The black, cold, icy water. Down and down, without end — if it would only end.

it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man.