In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it. – Ernst Fischer
As machines become more and more efficient and perfect, so it will become clear that imperfection is the greatness of man. – Ernst Fischer
To provoke dreams of terror in the slumber of prosperity has become the moral duty of literature. – Ernst Fischer
The bosses of our mass media, press, radio, film and television, succeed in their aim of taking our minds off disaster. Thus, the distraction they offer demands the antidote of maximum concentration on disaster. – Ernst Fischer
Everyone goes to the same exhibitions and the same parties, stays in the same handful of hotels, eats at the same no-star restaurants, and has almost the same opinions. I adore the art world, but this is copycat behavior in a sphere that prides itself on independent thinking. – Jerry Saltz