“You can forget Stalin,” he said, pledging his allegiance. “We’re not the History Channel.”

“In your heart of hearts, I believe all of you around this table know what this country needs.”

“But with superior morale, with an unwavering, fanatical spirit, everything is possible!”

“One must undertake everything with utter, fanatical determination. Or one will get nowhere.”

“You can forget Stalin,” he said, pledging his allegiance. “We’re not the History Channel.”

“What irritates me most of all about these morning people is their horribly good temper, as if they have been up for three hours and already conquered France. Particularly since the vast majority of them, in spite of rising so appallingly early, have performed anything but great deeds. In Berlin I have time and again met people who make no secret of the fact that their only reason for stirring at such an ungodly hour of the morning is so that they can leave the office earlier in the afternoon. I have suggested to several of these eight-hour logicians that they ought to start work at ten o'clock at night, thereby allowing them to leave at six in the morning and perhaps even arrive home before it is time to get up. Some even took this for a serious suggestion. In my opinion, only bakers need to work early in the morning.”