Page "Kurt Tucholsky" Paragraph 43

: We have just written " no " on 225 pages, " no " out of sympathy and " no " out of love, " no " out of hate and " no " out of passion – and now we would like to say " yes " for once.

" Yes " – to the countryside and the country of Germany.

The country where we were born and whose language we speak.

(...) And now I would like to tell you something: it is not true that all those who call themselves ' national ' and who are nothing but gentrified militants have taken out a lease on this country and its language just for them.

Germany is not just a government representative in his tailcoat, nor is it a headmaster, nor is it the ladies and gentlemen of the steel helmets.

We are here too.

(...) Germany is a divided country.

We are one part of it.

And whatever the situation, we quietly love our country – unshakably, without a flag, or a street organ, no sentimentality and no drawn sword.

( Heimat, in Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, Berlin 1929, p. 226 )