"On Violence" [Über die Gewalt] (1930s), trans. John Willett in Poems, 1913-1956, p. 276
“
The headlong stream is termed violent
But the river bed hemming it in is
Termed violent by no one.
— Bertolt Brecht
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The headlong stream is termed violent
But the river bed hemming it in is
Termed violent by no one." in the context of ""On Violence" [Über die Gewalt] (1930s), trans. John Willett in Poems, 1913-1956, p. 276" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Bertolt Brecht" (Quotes, Posthumous publication, Poems, 1913-1956 (1976): John Willett, Ralph Manheim, eds., , ed. (1976), Poems, 1913-1956 language: English, others: Erich Fried, (2nd edition ed.) place: New York, publisher: Methuen
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The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), commonly known as Bertolt Brecht, was a German Marxist dramatist, stage director and poet. He is remembered for the Distancing effect practice in performing arts (known in German as Verfremdungseffekt or V-Effekt).
About Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), commonly known as Bertolt Brecht, was a German Marxist dramatist, stage director and poet. He is remembered for the Distancing effect practice in performing arts (known in German as Verfremdungseffekt or V-Effekt).
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