Daniil Kharms Quotes

• I was most happy when pen and paper were taken from me and I was forbidden from doing anything. I had no anxiety about doing nothing by my own fault, my conscience was clear, and I was happy. This was when I was in prison.

  Daniil Kharms

  Taken, Anxiety, Paper

  Daniil Kharms (2007). “Today I Wrote Nothing: The Selected Writing of Daniil Kharms”, Overlook Press

  49 Copy quote

• I am interested only in "nonsense"; only in that which makes no practical sense. I am interested in life only in its absurd manifestations.

  Daniil Kharms

  Nonsense, Absurd, Manifestation

  Daniil Kharms, Neil Cornwell (1993). “Incidences”, Serpents Tail

  22 Copy quote

• Open this notebook every day and write down half a page at the very least. If you have nothing to write down, then at least, following Gogol’s advice, write down that today there’s nothing to write. Always write with attention and look on writing as a holiday.

  Daniil Kharms

  Notebook, Writing, Holiday

  Daniil Kharms (2007). “Today I Wrote Nothing: The Selected Writing of Daniil Kharms”, Overlook Press

  18 Copy quote

• One must write poetry in such as way that if one threw the poem in a window, the pane would break.

  Daniil Kharms

  Writing, Way, Window

  Daniil Kharms, Aleksandr Ivanovich Vvedenskiĭ, George Gibian (1987). “The Man with the black coat: Russia's literature of the absurd : selected works of Daniil Kharms and Alexander Vvedensky”, Northwestern Univ Pr

  14 Copy quote

• There lived a redheaded man who had no eyes or ears. He didn’t have hair either, so he was called a redhead arbitrarily. He couldn’t talk because he had no mouth. He had no nose either. He didn’t even have arms or legs. He had no stomach, he had no back, he had no spine, and he had no innards at all. He didn’t have anything. So we don’t even know who we’re talking about. It’s better that we don’t talk about him any more.

  Daniil Kharms

  Eye, Men, Hair

  Daniil Kharms (2007). “Today I Wrote Nothing: The Selected Writing of Daniil Kharms”, Overlook Press

  21 Copy quote

• Is there anything on earth which would have meaning and would even change the course of events not only on earth, but in other worlds?” I asked my teacher. “There is,” my teacher answered me. “Well, what is it?” I asked. “It’s...” began my teacher and suddenly fell silent. I stood and waited intently for his answer. But he was silent. And I stood and was silent. And he was silent. And I stood, silent. And he was silent. We’re both standing and silent. Ho-la-la! We’re both standing and silent. Ho-le-le! Yes, yes, we’re both standing and silent! 16-17 July 1937

  Daniil Kharms

  Teacher, July, Other Worlds

  16 Copy quote

• Eleven times Jesus died on the cross, Eleven times falls down a body thrown upward, Eleven times also I abandon the logical flow of thought.

  Daniil Kharms

  Jesus, Fall, Atheism

  9 Copy quote

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