Legend of the Galactic Heroes quotes (MASSIVE SPOILERS)

Hey guys! Gunlord again, giving you my second QUOTES entry. I originally posted these on my Livejournal, so they may be a little disorganized, but their strength should make up for it, IMO. All of these are from Legend of the Galactic heroes this time. LoGH was originally a novel series by Yoshiki Tanaka before being turned into a 110 episode Original Video Animation (OVA). As far as I know, it’s the longest OVA ever! It revolves around the conflict between the Free Planets Alliance, a democracy, and the autocratic, Prussian-inspired Galactic Reich in the far future. It’s one of the best animes ever made, IMO, and I think these quotes demonstrate why I and many others like it so much. However, I repeat, they’re very spoilery, so don’t look at em if you haven’t finished the series!!

“I think despots are any statesmen not chosen by the people who rule by means of force and steal the peoples’ freedom. This is what you’re doing on Heinessen. You are despots. Isn’t that so?”

“Political corruption isn’t just politicians taking bribes. That’s just the corruption of individual politicians. Political corruption means the people aren’t free to criticize politicians for taking bribes. You banned free speech. For that alone, you aren’t fit to criticize the despotic Imperial government or Alliance politics.”

Yang Wen-li, ep. 24 of Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

“Children don’t grow up looking at perfect parents. Rather, using their imperfect parents as anti-teachers, children nourish a spirit of independence.”

Alex Cazellnu, ep. 29.

“While the leaders of the Free Planets Alliance extol democracy, in reality, by ignoring laws and rules, they reduce it to a mere form. It’s a cunning but risky way of doing things. Because if the people in power don’t respect their own laws, the standards of society itself slacken.”

–Adrian Rubinsky, one of the main villains of LoGH, episode 30.

“The nation that neglects social inequality, mischievously increases military budgets, and then uses its power internally to suppress the citizens on the pretext of invasion by an external enemy is on the road to extinction.”

Yang Wen-Li.

Yang: A nation doesn’t create individuals by cellular division. Instead, it is individuals with autonomous intent who gather to establish a nation. In a democratic society, it is axiomatic as to which one is the master and which the servant.

Inquistor Negroponty: Axiomatic, eh? My understanding is rather different. Humans are social creatures. Nobody can live alone, and thus the nation holds indispensable value to the people.

Yang: Really? People may need societies, but they don’t necessarily need “nations.”

Negroponty: Well, I’m surprised. You’re a pretty radical anarchist.

Yang: No, but you could say I’m a veganist. Although as soon as I look at a delicious meat dish, I break my commandments at once.

ep. 31.

What is the most cowardly and shameful thing in human conduct? It’s when people with power, and people who flatter them, hide in safe places and extol war, force patriotism and self-sacrifice upon others, and then send them to the battlefield to die.

–Yang Wen-Li.

“Superiors? And are politicians such great people as that? We don’t contribute anything whatsoever to society’s productiveness. We are entrusted to fairly and effectively redistribute taxes and we just get a salary by carrying out that job. As Yang said, we’re nothing but parasites. If that appears great, it’s no more than illusion created by prapoganda.”

–Hwan Lewi. All quotes from ep 32.

Yang Wen-Li, ep. 32: “War Without Weapons.”

“I want to become a soldier who protects freedom and equality. Not a soldier who starts invasions and oppresses people, but a soldier who protects the rights of the people.”

–Julian Minci

“An army is a tool for violence, and there are two kinds of violence…Violence to control and oppress, and violence as a means of liberation. You know, what we call a national army, is fundamentally the former example. It’s a pity, but history doesn’t lie. When those in power confront popular opposition, there aren’t many examples of the army siding with the people. Far from it, in the past, in country after country, the army itself evolved into a power structure, and came to control the people with violence.”

–Yang Wen-Li.

Yang: The pen is mightier than the sword! In human affairs, the truth is hard to find, which is why that expression is true. We couldn’t topple Rudolf the Great [Space Hitler, pretty much] with the sword, but we exposed his crimes against human society. That is the power of the pen. The pen can impeach the dictator of a hundred years ago or the tyrant of a thousand years ago.

Julian: Yes, but in the end, doesn’t that just explain the past?

Yang: The past? Listen, Julian. For as long as human history goes on, the past will continue to accumulate. History isn’t just records of the past. It’s also proof that civilization has continued to advance to the present. Our present civilization is the result of our past. Understand?

Julian: Yes.

Yang: In the long flow of time, living things know nothing of their ancestors, except for the genes they’ve inherited. Only mankind has history. Having a history differentiates mankind from all other living species. That’s why I wanted to be a historian.

All quotes from ep. 35, “With Determination and Ambition.”

“All heroes have established their thrones atop not just their enemies, but a large quantity of allied corpses as well. There are no monarchs with clean hands.”

Paul Von Oberstein, ep. 37.

“Julian, people tend to make the common mistake of believing that a situation will last forever. Try and think about it. The Galactic Empire didn’t exist five hundred years ago. The history of the Free Planets Alliance is half that length. And Phezzan has reached an age of no more than a century. Anything that hasn’t existed since the genesis of the universe needn’t survive until the end. Change is sure to come…”

Yang Wen-Li.

Yang: Even if you look at a mountain, if you only look at it from one direction, you can’t grasp the whole…Embodiments of evil don’t exist other than in television dramas…Maybe history will classify us not as good but as the evil camp…people aren’t strong enough to endure the recognition that they’re evil. Therefore, believing in their own righteousness, they fight to force their views on other people.

Julian: There’s no such thing as absolute righteousness?

Yang: That’s right. So, Julian, if you go to Phezzan, try to see the difference between their idea of righteousness and ours. That wouldn’t be a bad experience for you. Compared to that, the rise and fall of nations pales in significance. That’s the truth.

Julian: Even the rise and fall of the Free Planets Alliance?

Yang: Right. I hope the nation lasts long enough for me to collect all my benefits after I retire. But if you look at it from historical perspective, the Free Planets Alliance was born as the antithesis of Rudolf Von Goldenbaum’s ideals.

Julian: Right.

Yang: Constitutional government against totalitarianism, progressive democracy against intolerant despotism. Well, advocating such things, because they came to be put into practice as well, and if the Rudolf-like things are denied and buried by Prince Lohengramm, there’ll be no special reason why the Alliance should continue. Look, Julian. Just as people sometimes die, nations aren’t eternally indestructible things, either. The entities called nations are no more than simple tools. If you remember just that fact, maybe you can maintain your perspective.

“Children don’t obey what their parents say, they imitate what the parents do.”

–Walter Von Schenkopp

LoGH, ep. 39

“I’ve come to be proud that I’m a soldier in a democratic republic…I think it’s correct for democratic nations to restrict the power of soldiers. Soldiers shouldn’t wield power or authority when they aren’t on the battlefield. Also, democracy can’t be healthy when the military grows fat by not accepting the criticisms of the government of society, thus turning into a nation within a nnation. The institution of democratic government isn’t wrong. The problem is the system is being alienated from the spirit that supports it. For now, the existence of our principles at least fends off the degeneration of its original intentions. But how long will that last?”

–Alexander Bucock

Lang: Your Excellency Chief of Staff, what I think is, no matter what kind of clothes it wears, there is only one real concern of government.

Oberstein: And what’s that?

Lang: It’s control of the many by the few.

Oberstein: Democracy is the rule of the many by their free will, isn’t it?

Lang: If the total is 100, if you collect 51 among them, you can make it rule by the majority. But that majority is divided into many factions. Namely, if we add up 26 from among those 51, they can rule the whole we spoke of before. How futile is the democratic principle called majority rule?

Logh ep. 41.

“You’re free to think what you like, but sovereign self-confidence need not lead to objective results.”

–Yang Wen-Li

“To a lover, the thing called “philanthropism” becomes a matter of demerit.”
–Oliver Poplan

LoGH, ep. 43

“Perfection is a fairly nonexistent thing. If you couldn’t do it, it was probably impossible for anybody else, too.”

–Logh ep 44

“To me, political power is like sewage. You can’t do without it, but it’s not something you want to approach.”

–Yang Wen-Li

“Neither terrorism nor occultism have ever impacted history in any constructive way.”

Yang Wen-Li, LoGH ep. 47, “Seeking Free Space.”

“One cannot live by jokes alone. But if there were no jokes, I’d rather not live.”
–Oliver Poplan.

“Love, and the human mind, can’t be analyzed with formulas. It’s not so unusual for love to make you forget the sense of care and respect for others. There’s no logic. It’s an uncontrollable urge. To tell you the truth, it’d be worrisome if you became like that. Your mind is keen, and your character is good. But passion has nothing to do with mind or character.”
–Cazzellnu.

“I believe that being ruled by the worst democracy is preferable to being ruled by the best autocracy. That’s why I’m fighting Prince Reinhard von Lohengramm on behalf of Job Trunicht. I think it’s a good principle.”
–Yang Wen-Li.

“Rudolf, who established the Galactic Empire, became Emperor with the full support of the people. What must it have been like before then, during the rule of a terrible democracy? Something worth pondering, don’t you think? In other words, does rulership by the worst democracy provide better government than rulership by the best autocracy? Which is better, indeed?”
–Schenkopp, in response to that.

“The goal of the battle was not to inflict cruelty. But righteousness and faith are most bloodthirsty. In order to bring about those high principles they chant about, those in command must burn countless men alive, and smash them body and limb. But as long as those in command are far from the battlefield, they must continue to insist that righteousness and faith are more important than human lives. If one were to be able to draw a line between Prince Lohengramm and those unworthy rulers, it would be that he often stands foremost at the front line. As for Yang Wenli, it would be the guilt that he feels so keenly at causing so much death.”
–Mr. Narrator.

All quotes from LoGH ep. 51, “Battle of Vermillion: Part 1”

“No, its citizens have turned over rulership to politicians, instead of participating in it! The people have democratic principles on their lips, but can’t spare the effort to safeguard it! The collapse of a government is the sin of its rulers and leaders. The collapse of democratic rule is the sin of every citizen!”
–Alexander Bucock, ep. 53.

“If we allow the military to ignore orders from the government, and act on its own accord, the most important aspect of democratic rule, the ability to regulate the military on behalf of the people would disappear.”
–Julian Minci, ep. 53.

“But Chairman Trunicht is a ruler chosen by suffrage. Even though it might be the result of bad vision, that vision must be corrected by the people themselves, no matter how long that might take. Professional soldiers must never be allowed to use violence to correct the errors of the people.”
–Again, Julian.

Reinhard: Is democracy such a great thing? Didn’t the Galactic Republic give birth to Rudolf and his Galactic Empire? Wasn’t the one who delivered your beloved nation into my hands your own ruler, chosen by the free will of the people of the Alliance? Democratic rule is a body chosen by its citizens in free will which subsumes the power and spirit of self.

Yang: if you could pardon my rudeness, your excellency, your words are as if the value of fire should be denied, simply because arson exists.

Reinhard: Hmm, that may be true, but wouldn’t you say the same applies to dictatorship? you cannot deny the efficiency of government by a strong leadership simply because tyrants do exist.

Yang: I can.

Reinhard: How?

Yang: The right to violate the rights of the people belong to the people. In other words, when the people gave power to Rudolf von Goldenbaum, or to an incomparably smaller man like Job Trunicht, the responsibility belongs to the people. It belongs to on one else. Thats the important point. The sin of dictatorship is that the people can push off the failures of government onto one man. Compared to that cardinal sin, the accomplishments of a hundred wise rulers seem small. In addition, your Excellency, a ruler as great as you is exceedingly rare. It’s only natural that your accomplishments and your failures also stand out.

“Perhaps in this universe, there exists a solitary, absolute truth. Perhaps it clarifies every question. But that’s beyond the reach of these short hands.”
–Yang Wen-Li

“I despise those who hide in safety while they glorify war and patriotism and send other people to the battlefield while they relax behind the lines. It is a difficult thing to live with those people under the same flag.”
–Yang again.

“A man cannot forsake his own destiny.”
–Louis Mashengo

Logh ep. 56 and 57 quotes:

“The people of this era had forgotten again that every army in history, while trumpeting defense and peace, can also go on mad offensives. In truth, the army is the most powerful violent organization that a country possesses. This is common sense to those who understand history. In addition, a country which has united all of humanity has no external enemies. Minimal levels of military power will suffice.”
–Historian Guy, ep. 56.

“There is great satisfaction in fighting for the sake of gaining power, but it’s joyless to fight for the sake of maintaining it.”
–Mein Kaiser, ep. 57.

“Religion is a convenient thing for those in power. There’s no more efficient tool for dominating the populace.”
–Boris Konev, ep. 57.

“The love which is preached by the Earth Church isn’t for the planet named Earth…They must only be using Earth to revive the privilege which their own ancestors possessed. If they really loved the Earth, they wouldn’t be getting involved in war, or power struggles.”
–Poplan, ep. 57.

Reuenthal: A man like Job Trunicht will leave his name forever in history as a consummate businessman.

Mittermeyer: Businessman?

R: Yes. First, he sold the Alliance and his democratic principles to the Empire. This time, he sold the Earth Church. Whenever he brings a product to market, history trembles. One can’t help but think he would be right up there with the Phezzani as a businessman.

M: You’re right. From the perspective of what’s sold, he’s an incomparable businessman. But not from the perspective of what he buys. All he buys is scorn and vigilance. Who respects him? In the final analysis, all he’s doing is cutting out pieces of his honor for sale.

R: You’re absolutely right, Mittermeyer. That man doesn’t need the respect of others, or love, to live on.

Reuenthal: “But let me say this first! The most shameless thing in the world is political power that can be inherited regardless of ability or talent! Usurpation is ten thousand times better than that! At least the usurper will toil for the sake of gaining power. They know that the power was not originally theirs!”

All quotes from ep 58 of LoGH.

“That Rudolf who had slaughtered homosexuals for fear they would pollute the future (Kaiser Rudolf Von Goldenbaum, progenitor of the Galactic Empire–Space Hitler, pretty much, everyone in the Empire is white because of this while the FPA is more ethnically diverse because he exterminated nonwhites where he had the chance; gays got the same treatment) would count a homosexual among his descendants must be one of the true ironies of history.”
–narrator guy

“Everybody has to display a certain loyalty to their paycheck. I was the same way. It isn’t just a piece of paper, but a chain that binds people.”
–Yang Wen-Li

“For us, not only should we welcome his corruption, we should nurture it…Whether it’s in the government of the military, I know very well where evil rules. And now, I’m tangled up with them…”
–Yang again. The person he’s talking about is kinda spoilery so I wont mention it.

“Daddy didn’t lose there. Learning to retreat and letting one’s wife win is the secret to maintaining familial harmony.”
–Alex Cazzellnu.

“The reason we want something is because the body needs it. So the best thing for the body is just to eat and drink as it pleases.”
–Yang yet again.

All qutoes from LoGH ep. 59, “Past, Present, and Future.

Ep. 65:

“Fleet Admiral, have you ever thought about the difference between you and Kaiser Reinhard? It’s the difference in ambition. Kaiser Reinhard takes fate by the neck and forces it to obey his will when it tries to pass by him without his permission. Whether it’s good or bad, thats the principle.”
–Schenkopp.

“If the knife comes when I have presents in both hands, there’s no way to evade it.”
–Yang

“Don’t you worry, Mittermeyer. I’m still a man of the military class. If I must suffer a downfall, I’ll fall in war, not because of a woman.”
–Reuenthal.

Ep. 66 quotes:
“Instead of pining for the bitterness of last year’s grapes, we should find the seeds of this year’s grapes.”
–Reinhard.

“So long as an organization relies solely on the genius of one individual, such an organization will remain immature.”
–Reinhard again.

Ep. 67 quotez:
“When a nation faces its demise and when its people abandon it, I’m sure there will be someone who will try to sell merchandise we haven’t even requested.”
–Hildegarde Mariendorf (she’s speaking of Job Trunicht, and even if you haven’t watched LoGH you’ve probably heard me talk about what a sneaky rat he is xD)

Ep. 68:
“Yang Wenli has many shortcomings, but he has one virtue that no one can possibly criticize. That is, he honestly believes in the principle that a democracy’s military exists solely for the purpose of protecting the lives of its citizens, and that he has acted upon that principle on more than one occasion.”

“If Yang were to ever be defeated, it wouldn’t be by the great genius of Kaiser Reinhard. It’ll be by his adherence to his own ideals.”
–Trung Yu Chen and Alexander Bucock, respectively.

“From the standpoint of the ideals of a democracy, the public disclosure of information is the most important principle. If you like secrecy and lack of disclosure, you should join an autocratic government.”
–Dusty Attenborough.

Ep. 69:
“Admirals without soldiers are equivalent to fixed stars without planets. Their lights will only illuminate the darkness without any effect.”
–Daehtlich Sauken

“I’ll leave the women with good character to you. I’ll take the other half with bad character.”
–Poplan to Attenborough

“We’re doing this revolutiuonary war out of foppery and whim. Got it?”
–Attenborough

“If we don’t plant seeds just because they’ll wither someday, there’s no chance that the grass will grow. Also, we can’t go without eating meals just because we’ll eventually get hungry anyway…Once the roots of republican democracy get pulled out, it’ll be more difficult for them to grow again. Even if it might take several centuries, I want to lighten the burden of the next generation somewhat.”
–Yang.

“A student who is too loyal to his master has no chance of surpassing that master…A mutinous spirit is the source of independence.”
–Boris Konev

Episode 71:
“History, like a human being, is thirsty when it wakes from its slumber…History wants to drink up an enormous amount of blood. And even if history has tired of drinking blood, that’s only in regards to the amount. But what about quality? The larger the sacrifice is, the more delighted the cruel gods will be.

–Reunthal.

Episode 72–one of my favorite quotes:

Kaiser Reinhard, please believe I have a great admiration for your talents and greatness. And if I were to have a grandson, I would like to have someone like you. But I cannot be your subordinate. Yang Wenli, also; he could become your friend, but not your subordinate. Though it’s someone else’s business, I can just about guarantee it. That is to say, if I’m allowed to say important-sounding things, democracy is the philosophy of making friends on equal terms, not of creating master-servant relationships. I want to have good friends, and I want to be a good friend to other people. But I don’t want a good master or to be a good servant. That’s precisely the reason I have not been able to uphold the same flag as you.
–Admiral Bucock

“Justifying my death and justifying your actions are supposed to be two completely different things. Between my compunction and your compunction there’s a distinct difference in the guilt assigned to it.”
–Joanne Lebello, to his killers.

“They’re remarkable men. The Alliance perished precisely because such men were kept below the mid-level ranks.”
–Mein Kaiser, on the Alliance officials who refused to accede to his rule.

“Maybe humans are capable of committing far more shameless acts than they imagine they are. If they hadn’t faced adversity, they might have gone without discovering such ugly facets of themselves.”
–Hildegarde von Mariendorf.

“Because Kaiser Reinhard is a brilliant ruler, he is the worst enemy of republican democracy.”
–Yang.

Episode 74:

“The gist of democracy lies in the coexistence of diverse political values.”
–Yang.

“While he preaches to others that beliefs are harmful with no benefits, he himself is so stubborn. This is what it means by “saying one thing, and doing another.””
–Schenkopp, in reference to Yang. xD

“Life is too short to embrace a woman I don’t love. I also think a woman’s life is too short to be embraced by a man she doesn’t love.”
–Schenkopp again.

“It doesn’t suit our fleet to pride itself on misery, and it doesn’t suit you, either. No matter how much you hate him, it’s not like he’ll live forever…it’s meaningless to make up with a gravestone, don’t you think?”
–Poplan to a certain someone who hates her father…

“In the end, conspiracies or terrorism cannot reverse the flow of history. But they can make it stagnant.”
–Yang.

Yang: [Kaiser Reinhard] is a threat because he’s succeeding in changing history with power that is not democratic.

Frederica: Autocracy is the most effective structure with which to carry out drastic changes.

Yang: On the other hand, democracy is a roundabout thing. And people who are disenchanted with such roundabout-ness will always say: “Let’s give power to a great politician and have him spearhead revolutionary changes.” I wonder if the masses have always wanted an autocrat. And they might just be getting the ideal autocratic ruler right now. Compared to that brilliant golden idol, democracy is nothing but a faded bronze idol. No, no! Julian, we’re soldiers. And republican democratic structure is often born from the muzzle of guns. But the military, despite engendering democracy, should never boast of its accomplishment. And it’s not an unfair thing! Because the gist of democracy lies in control by the people, who have the power. Democracy institutionalizes the control of the power-holders by law and structure. And the military needs this control the most. They fight for the political structure that fundamentally denies them. The military of a democracy must accept that contradictory structure. The only things the military can demand from its government are a retirement pension and paid leave; that’s about it. In other words, the rights of the workers–they cannot demand for more than that.
–Yang and his wife again.

“They didn’t fight for the preservation of the power-holders or for my sentimentality.”
–Yang, on the soldiers who fought under his command.

“For Kaiser Reinhard, there’s the shortest path to peace and unification, and for us, there’s the long road that leads towards righteous democracy. When both paths cross in the war of bloodshed, if something called God actually exists, I wonder which side He will affirm.”
–Yang again.

Episode 75:
“I have had the title of Imperial Fleet Admiral bestowed upon me…but no matter how highly I am placed, if I’m not free to meet a friend of mine, I’m inferior even to a commoner.”
–Mittermeyer.

“I, Oskar von Reuental, would feel the utmost indignation if I were rumored to have undertaken looting and assault and harmed citizens through my authority and force. But to be said that I’m aiming for the throne through rebellion is an honor for a warrior of this turbulent era.”
–Reuental.

Ep. 76:

“You like pouring oil on anything that shows signs of fire, regardless of whether or not there is a necessity for it.”

“If I set fires in too many places, I’ll end up being burned to death before I can extinguish them.”
–Dominique and Rubinsky.

Ep. 77:

“Reinhard disliked demonstrating authority and power with a giant statue so greatly that he took the trouble to declare that his own statue could not be built within ten years of his death, or beyond life size.”
–Narrator Dude.

“The end of this battle means the end of the era of conquest. The era that will follow it is the era of economic construction. In other words, our era, of technocrats…Besides, I’m not saying this because I aspire to hold power. What I want to do, what I want to create, is something that humans have never seen.”
–Bruno von Silverberche

“At his funeral, I will read a letter of condolence insincerely and stick out my tongue at him in my heart.”
–Lutz, about Oberstein.

Episode 78:

“If you write prose too predictably, before readers get bored, the publishers won’t like it. You have to write prose that gives a more fresh impact.”
–Poplan to Attenborough

“Yang:no matter how brilliant a ruler Kaiser Reinhard himself is, I cannot take the hand of an autocratic ruler. As much as the Kaiser has his own nature, I also have things I can’t break free of.

Julian: Do you mean it’s predetermination?

Yang: I could live with it if you said “fate,” but “predetermination is really an unpleasant word. It insults human beings in two ways. First, it stymies the thought process that analyzes situations. And secondly, it belittles the free will of human beings as something of little value. Julian, there is no such thing as a predetermined battle. No matter what the circumstances are, in the end it’s something that we choose to do…When you have a convenient word like “predetermination,” you get tempted to shift blame to it to justify your decision. I don’t think I’m always right. But even if I end up making a mistake, I want to make that mistake on my own responsibility.

“It’s the most powerful words in the world. No just argument or eloquence can stand a chance against it. It’s…”So what?””

“Dogs bite. Cats claw. There are ways of fighting that are suitable for each one.”
–Attenborough.

“To become an adult means to know one’s drinking capacity.”
–Yang.

Yang:At least so far, there’s no doubt that Kaiser Reinhard is one of the highest grade autocratic rulers in human history. So we’re forced to face the ultimate contradiction…in other words, when the absolute majority of the people affirm and accept autocracy, we who advocate for the sovereignty of the people become the enemy of the people…If we have to bring down a virtuous ruler to preserve the institution of democracy, democracy becomes the enemy of good governance. We have no choice but to laugh at such a paradox.

Julian: Though a virtuous ruler like Kaiser Reinhard may be good for us, it’s meant to be a prevantative measure for the future, when tyrants might come out, so…

Yang: There have been all kinds of people in the past who justified bloodshed in the present by citing potential danger in the future. For political persecution, that logic is usually used as a rationale. I want to secure a seedbed of democracy where we can lie low while things are governed wisely and break out when misgovernment occurs…If there are such things as absolute good and absolute evil like there are in TV dramas, I wonder how simple human lives would be.

“From antiquity, the one who is assassinated would’ve left his name in history regardless of whether or not he was assassinated. But the one who assassinates will leave his name in history only because he carried out the assassination.”
–Bishop De Villiers

LoGH Ep. 79:

“Even if the clothes are too large in the beginning, they’ll fill out as you grow. The same goes for courage…The secret of not getting killed by the enemy is to underestimate life’s difficulties.”
–Poplan

LoGH Ep. 80:
“I’m not reproaching you. It’s still better than committing a mistake that is unlike your character. At this point, think about making up for the loss with the work that you’re capable of doing.”
–Mein Kaiser

“A large force and large war potential are indispensable elements in holding a strategic advantage. But at the tactical level, that’s not always the case. Especially depending on the geography of the battlefield, it can become a factor contributing to defeat.”
–Mittermeyer

Ep. 81: “People follow people, but not necessarily ideals or institutions. Then I wonder if Julian, in the end, is fighting for me. But that’s not the way it should be. His reason for fighting shouldn’t be loyalty to one individual, but rather to the ideal and institution of democracy.”

–Yang Wen-Li

Ep. 82:

“When you’re in fourth grade, do you still do things that you learned in the first grade?”
–Mrs. Cazellnu, when her daughter asks her why she and her husband don’t kiss like Mr. and Mrs. Yang

Ep. 83:

“At a time like this, the ones who cry first win, I guess.”
–Louis Mashengo

“He wasn’t the kind of person who should’ve died that way. After he’d get old, and fewer and fewer people would remember his past accomplishments, he’d quietly read books every day, being rocked in a rocking chair under the sun. One day, in such an ordinary life, when his grandchild would come calling for him, there’d be no answer. Under the sun, quietly as if he were asleep, while no one noticed. I’d thought all along that that kind of death would be appropriate for him.”
–Frederica.

“In politics, the institution and structure gain their binding power starting with the second generation. If Yang had held the representative position for republican democracy while he was alive, and if Mrs. Yang had succeeded to that position upon his death, then it would have become a type of hereditary right and it would have meant the privatization of power. But Yang kept refusing to take that position when he was alive. As a result, that fact gives Mrs. Yang political legitimacy.”
–Cazellnu.

Frederica: That’s only natural, Julian. The things Yang Wenli did cannot be done by anyone else.

Julian: That’s right. I can’t. There’s too much of a gap in talent.

Frederica: No, it’s a difference of personality, Julian. You’ll have to do things that only you can do. You don’t have to act like Yang Wenli. Just as there is only one Yang Wenli in history, there is only one Julian Minci, too. I, too, intend to take the position of political representative, knowing that I’m inadequate for it. I spent twelve years with Yang Wenli. The first eight years as just as fan. The next three years as an adjutant. The next year as a wife. And from now on, God knows how many years, how many decades, will be, as a widow. If I have to live the time my way, I don’t want the foundation he built to fall to dust. And, and if the ones who are left behind fail to carry on here, we will be undermining with our hands his claim that history cannot be changed by terrorism. So I intend to fulfill my obligations. If there is anyone who would say Yang Wenli was lazy, I will testify that he never once neglected the obligations that only he could fulfill.”

“Admirable? I’m not at all admirable! To tell the truth, I don’t mind if democracy ceases to exist! I don’t care even if the entire universe were to return to atoms! If he is…as long as he is reading books, half-asleep, alongside me…”
–Frederica again.

“What we need now is not the diary of the past, but instead the calendar of the future.”
–Dusty

“Humans don’t fight for principles and philosophy. They fight for the person who embodies their principles and philosophy. They don’t fight for revolutions, they fight for the revolutionary.”
–Dusty.

From 84-89, cut for spoilers:

Ep. 84: “I’ve thought about it on many occasions. At the time I was defeated by Reinhard von Lohengramm in the Lippstadt War…it might perhaps have been better for me to have died. But I no longer think that way. Until I was almost 60 years old, I’d always lived a life afraid of failure. I’m finally beginning to learn that there is another kind of life, and I have to repay my debt, be grateful or whatever, to the people who taught that to me.”
–Admiral Merkatz

“Just because I rule the entire universe, there is no reason that my heirs should inherit it without possessing the requisite capabilities or renown.”
–Mein Kaiser

Ep. 86:
“Good people, remarkable people are killed meaninglessly. That’s war, and that’s terrorism. The sin of wars and terrorism, in the end, comes down to that.”

“In the end, democracy has to rely on an individual’s fame, doesn’t it?”
–Yang Wen-Li

“You seem to think you’re not up to the task, and it’s probably true in reality, too, but you shouldn’t be ashamed of your inexperience. You know, I use inexperience as my sales point and am living my life comfortably.”
–Katerose von Kreutzer

“In the history of revolution, all organizations that were named “commune” have always failed.”
–Dusty

“About 300 years ago, there was not one famous politician among the people who accompanied Ale Heinessen, the founder of the FPA, in his long march of 10000 light years. The common nameless people, who were oppressed and persecuted because of their anti-autocratic philosophy, persevered through the journey of half a century, and accomplished the great deed of nation-building. No one can be a famous, great person from his or her birth.”
–Mr. Narrator.

Ep. 87:
“The slowness of something called “republican democracy” often irritates people. If I satisfy them with our swiftness of administration, I doubt they’ll be hung up on their republican democracy.”

“Even under autocratic rule, you can’t kill someone just because you hate him.”
–Reuenthal.

Ep. 88:
“Are “feelings” inherited in this manner, just as I inherited Admiral Yang’s feelings? Though not everything, even if it were just a little, I want to share Admiral’s feelings. From elder to junior, from predecessors to followers, I wonder if that’s how the torches of “feelings” get relayed. If that’s the case, those who value that fire must take the responsibility of keeping the fire burning, and handing it to the next runner.”
–Julian Minci.

“If it were a third-rate TV anime, a dead protagonist can come back to life at the producers’ convenience. But the world we live in is not such a convenient place. Lost lives will never return. Because of it, we live in a world where a life is an irreplaceable existence.”
–Dusty Attenborough

“It [Iserlohn] is the holy land for those heretics who do not yield to overwhelming power. A place like that can only exist on the outer fringe. So I pride myself on being on the outer fringe. The outer fringe is a place that’s nearest to the stream that opens up a new age.”
–Julian Minci

“The admiral’s breath, we feel it on our skin, but it probably will become even stronger as time passes, and it will blow through history.”

“Don’t you have the responsibility to protect your own just rights, for the sake of people who trust you and are supporting you?”
–Katerose von Kreutzer.

Cazellnu: But to get rid of all disagreeing elements would be against the principles of democracy.

Schenkopp: “Democracy is an institution that codifies the self-restraint of the power-holders,” huh?”

Cazellnu: …Julian has no jealosy for his predecessor. This is an important quality for a successor. I hope he’ll keep that quality.”

“There certainly are things that cannot be told in words. But that can only be said by people who have exhausted their use of words. Words are like icebergs that are floating on the ocean called “heart.” The parts that show above the sea surface are small, but they still let us perceive or sense the larger parts that are hidden below the water. Use words deliberately. If you do, you’ll be able to convey more things more accurately than if you were to keep silent. Right judgement can only be made with right information and right analyses.”
–Julian, quoting Yang.

“Someone who cannot hate something cannot love something, either.”
–What Yang-Wen li might have said, according to the narrator.

“I certainly did lose you. But I’m happier than if I hadn’t met you at all. You might have killed millions of people, but at the very least, you made me happy.”
–Frederica, on her husband.

Ep. 89:

“Your majesty, even if you’ve committed a sin, I believe you’ve already been punished for it. And with that as a base, you’ve dramatically reformed politics and society. There was the crime, then punishment, and because of it, we have the rewards in the end. Please do not despise yourself. There are many people who were saved by your reformations.”
–Hildegard von Mariendorf.

“Hilda, you’re too good of a daughter for me. But it’s useless to say that if you had fallen in love with a more ordinary man, who only looks at things close to him with less ambition, I might have been able to fulfill a peaceful life that is appropriate for my lot.”
–Hilda’s father.

Ep. 90:

“I passed on to other people the responsibilities that I should have held, and I became a spectator. Because of that, many who took on those responsibilities died. I regret it deeply. This time around, I will not run away from my responsibilities.”
–Sidney Sitolet.

“While fighting against great enemy commanders is an honor for a warrior, persecuting the people is the task of a dog.”

“A warrior in an era of peace is nothing more than a chained watchdog. He does nothing but rot slowly in sloth and boredom.”
–Reuenthal.

Trunicht: “I don’t believe “Interesting” and “Factual” are the same thing, are they?”

Reuenthal: If you add 100 “interestings” together, they might amount to the equivalent of one fact.

“The people are like a kite riding a wind. They have no substance, and all they do is float up high in the sky.”
–Trunicht

“Laughter is much better than crying, of course.”
–Cazellnu

“A great empire called “Rome,” which reigned over our Earth in the distant past, also adopted a monotheistic religion as its national religion in their time of decline, and with it, they ruled civilization and the history of future generations. It’s a precedent that we should pay attention to, and we should want to.”

–evil Terraist bishop.

Ep. 91:

“Since the Kaiser is himself a splendid piece of art, he does not need to be interested in any of the disingenuous arts.”
–Mittermeyer, quoting Mecklinger.

“To begin with, a ruler should only provide money for the arts. There’s no need to stick his nose in them. Doing that will only produce phony artists who pander to the ruler’s tastes and pretend to be great masters.”
–Mittermeyer’s personal opinion.

Ep. 92:
“Ms. Celibacy doesn’t seem to want to relinquish me. After all, I’ve been dating her for the longest time, you know? I can’t bring myself to dump her.”
–Attenborough.

“Adhering to Yang’s teachings that a society where people cannot publicly complain about their leader is not an open society, he never once forbade complaints addressed directly toward him.”
–The narrator, on Julian.

“Julian minci was a performer, not a composer, he was a translator, not a writer. He himself wanted to be that way, and indeed became the most proficient performer and translator. He never once hid his model; there’s no reason he should be called a plagiarizer. There is no great music that could impress the audience without ever being performed.”
–Attenborough, on Julian.

“Over the course of nearly 20 generations, the people of the Empire have grown accustomed to being ruled and governed. For them, “politics” meant something that will be done to them, something that others will do for them. So it’s understandable that they support the Lohengramm regime, which does for them far more beneficial things than others have done in the past. Therefore, as the Lohengramm Dynasty begins to suffer from time’s efflorescence, and degenerates down the slope of past practices, I believe republican democracy will regain its significance.”
–Julian Minci.

“Shoot me! There is only one Reinhard von Lohengramm, and there is only one man whose name will be remembered for killing me. Who wants to be that man?”
–Mein Kaiser

Ep. 93:
“In a peaceful time, Yang Wenli would probably have been able to live peacefully, but he died before that time came. Considering that only those of us who view peace as boredom and cannot stand it have survived, the Creator must be just and fair. In the sense that He’s full of malice, that is.”
–Reuenthal.

“If one can feel happy in one’s childhood, that is because one can go without knowing the truth about oneself.”
–Reuenthal again.

Mitt: Do you mean it’s like being intoxicated? Or is it like sobering up? I wonder which.

Reue: I don’t know. But either way, it must be happier to die while still intoxicated…I wonder if intoxication perhaps includes such feelings as love for someone, or loyalty to someone.

Ep. 94:

“What Reinhard detests the most is to follow other people, or be controlled by other people.”
–Narrator.

“To rectify Lang’s injustice, we must do it in accordance with the law. Otherwise, the foundation on which the Lohengramm dynasty was built will crumble.
–Kesler

“But if even a single mouse is feeding on the grain in storage, the damage is insignificant, and if the habitation of such a creature cannot even be tolerated, the Galactic Empire will become too small a place.”
–Mein Kaiser.

“Just because he’s hated, it doesn’t mean it’s right to punish him.”
–Again, mein kaiser.

“If we use an individual for political expedience, we’ll no longer have any right to criticize them.”

“That’s right! Personal vendettas should always be carried out with one’s own hands.”
–Julian Minci and Oliver Poplan.

“You’re drunk with blood-colored dreams. We must all wake up from our dreams sometime. After we wake up, what happens then?…After the Kaiser is gone, how will you quench the thirst in your heart?”
–Mittermeyer

“At this time, Reuental was excited that he was going up against a great tactician who was equal to him. Although he hadn’t lost even a fraction of his respect and friendship for Mittermeyer, there was, regardless, a certain mellow excitement. That must be a good example of what irredeemable kinds of people military tacticians are. Even in someone like Mittermeyer, that was there. “Isn’t it truly fulfilling to face a great admiral like Reuental?” his inner voice would whisper.”
–Narrator-kun

“Losing something I once lost already doesn’t inconvenience me at all. All right! Now that we’ve cut off our bad luck, the only thing to fear is just temporary!”
–Wahlen, on losing his artificial arm.

Ep. 97:

“Basically, it means that we’re both a bunch of sentimentalists…so, commander, you think that as sentimentalists, there’s a way we can come to an understanding with one another, and that we should try and find the hope for our future from there, don’t you?”
–Schenkopp, when an Imperial fleet passing through the Iserlohn corridor asks to salute Yang’s resting place.

“Space is a theater, and both tragedies and comedies will end at some point.”
–Julian Minci, quoting Yang Wen-Li.

“I don’t think “screaming in pain in place of his superior” is among an adjutant’s duties.”
–Reuental, when he notices his adjutant is freaking out over the piece of metal embedded in Reuental’s chest.

“Regardless of the color of eyes or skin, the color of blood is the same for everyone, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s a more important matter than that of like or dislike. Dying in pajamas in a hospital bed doesn’t suit me. Don’t you agree? For humans, there’s an appropriate life, as well as an appropriate death…”

“It seems that the smell of one’s own blood is something one gets tired of after about five minutes or so.”
–All these from Reuental again.

“Either way, the chronicles of our lives is written in blood, no matter which page we turn to. Even if we were to put a thick foundation of humanism on them, we can’t erase the color of the blood there, can we? But still, there are some things we’d rather go without experiencing. Like killing our comrades and vice versa.”
–Bittenfeld

“A mouse’s wisdom can’t grasp a Lion’s feelings, I suppose.”
–Mecklinger.

Ep. 98:

“Democracy isn’t really all that remarkable…Someone like me can hold power and make others live or die as he likes. If that isn’t a flaw of democracy, then what is?”
–Trunicht.

“If autocracy gives me the power I want, then autocracy will become my next benefactor. I will then devote myself to autocracy with even more sincerity than I did to democracy.”
–Trunicht again.

“I don’t give a damn if you belittle republican democracy, profit at the expense of a nation, or deceive the people. But…! But I won’t allow you to soil the Kaiser’s dignity with your filthy, feces-filled tongue. I neither served nor rebelled against a Kaiser who could be insulted by someone like you!”
–Reuenthal.

“There’s something that a self-important guy from antiquity once said, self-importantly: “It’s the utmost happiness in life to have a friend with whom one can at the time of one’s death entrust one’s infant.”
–R. again.

“No child was born to them (referring to loving couple Mittermeyer and his wife) but one was born to us (referring to Reuenthal and his hatelady). Births must be controlled by an Existence who’s either extremely incompetent or extremely sarcastic.”
–Reuenthal again.

“Whatever happened to me? I’m not acting like myself. Someone as proud as Oskar Von Reuenthal is dying a death about which others will say something like, “That man became a virtuous man when he died?” It’s silly, but maybe that’s alright. To each their own, in their life, and their death. But still, for those few people I’ve respected and loved, I pray that they die a more graceful death.”
–Again, Reuenthal.

(Upon seeing Lang’s widow pleading for his life)
“Kesler couldn’t help but think of the two-faceted nature of human beings. Their faces as public individuals and as private individuals. After all, as a family man, Lang was a lot better than Reinhard or Reuental.”
–Mr. Narrator

Ep. 99:

“Hilda knew both Reinhard’s virtues and flaws. But she felt even those flaws were valuable things in themselves.”

Ep 100:

“Even if a volcano erupts, winter doesn’t become summer.”
–Mittermeyer.

“If we expunge one man’s crime in an attempt to punish another man’s crime, the justice of law can’t be maintained.”
–Kesler

Ep. 101:

“One of the reasons that the Lohengramm Dynasty’s Imperial force is so powerful is that the Kaiser’s enemy, the nation’s enemy, and the people’s enemy are not separate entities–they are one and the same. At least the soldiers think so. For them, Reinhard von Lohengramm is their liberator…If there were a vote to determine the supreme leader in the Empire, there’s no doubt that he, Reinhard von Lohengramm, would be elected. In that sense, Kaiser Reinhard, even though he’s an autocratic and warlike ruler, is a very democratic existence, considering the popular support for him.”
–Julian Minci

“The foundation of good government is to avoid starving the people, Julian. If you’re starving to death, a little bit of political freedom here and there doesn’t mean anything.”
–Cazellnu to Julian

“Conspiracies do not move history by themselves. There are always people conspiring at any given time, but they don’t necessarily always succeed.”
–Yang, quoted by Julian.

“To fight in an effort to reach one’s goal, despite the full understanding of the sacrifice that war would bring, or to give up in compromise with reality, ultimately succumbing to reality, and shirking the effort to change that reality with one’s own hand–which is the more commendable way of living? …If it’s something important to you, you should protect it with your own life, or seize it with your own hands…If Kaiser Reinhard has respect for republican democracy, isn’t it because it is something that Admiral Yang sacrificed his own life to protect?”
–Julian et. al in the conference.

Ep. 102:

“Either way, the only ones who can die tomorrow are those who survive today.”

“You’re right! Let’s retain the right to die tomorrow or later.”
–Dusty, then Poplan.

“In some ways, the law of the universe worked fairly in this instance. The loss was dealt to someone who was able to accept it honorably, at least, in this battle.”
–Julian.

“Respect for the enemy may itself be a contradiction and hypocrisy. That those with such quality are extolled more than those without it might be a sign that the system for appraising the character of military people may itself be a product of hypocrisy and contradiction.”

“One victory greedily demands the next set of victories from the victor, until his death.”
–Narratorbro

“Good guys always die first!”
–Bittenfeld

“There’s a tradition in the Bittenfeld family! When you praise someone, you do it loudly; when you denounce someone, you do it even louder!”
–Fitten the Beld

“If you detain so many political and thought offenders, the ability to detain general criminal offenders will decrease in proportion. It might worsen the public order of this planet instead.”
–Muller

“Bloody fantasies of militaristic romantics are useless at the present juncture…The Empire is not the Kaiser’s private property, and the Imperial Fleet isn’t the Kaiser’s private force. Is there a law that says that the Kaiser can meaninglessly sacrifice the lives of soldiers for the sake of his personal pride? If so, it would be no different from the era of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, would it?”
–Oberstein.

“My Kaiserin, I’ve never once liked Oberstein as a person. But when I think back, it seems I’ve followed his advice the most. It’s because that man’s arguments are so right that they leave no room for debate.

–Reinhard.

“But isn’t it a real badge of honor for republicans to be imprisoned as political or thought offenders by an autocratic ruler? Especially for those who held high positions in the former Free Planets Alliance and who spoke to soldiers and citizens so eloquently about the holy war of democracy against autocracy, that is.”

–Schenkopp

“In accordance with the fundamental spirit of democracy, we can’t abandon those people facing danger to their lives, even if they’re small in number.”

“If the measures the most despicable are the measures that most effectively reduce bloodshed, why do humans seek the path of righteousness and suffer in the process?

–Julian

“I don’t want to indulge in reminiscences about these people; I want to indulge in reminiscences with these people.”
–Julian again.

ep. 107:

“Most likely, they (historians) will write that he (Kaiser Reinhard) was a great man whose tremendous accomplishments were worthy of the amount of bloodshed they entailed. Historians will look at the amount of blood in terms of “efficiency.” Even if one hundred thousand more people die before space is unified, they’ll say, ‘with the sacrifice of just one hundred thousand lives, space was unified. It was a great achievement!'”
–Julian.

“That doesn’t sound like your usual self. Are you planning to turn into a cynic, leaving something like “A Chronicle of a Virulent Tongue” to posterity?”
–Schenkopp, upon hearing this.

“I’d rather fight and regret it than not fight and regret it.”
–Reinhard.

“Regardless of what the Goldenbaum Dynasty did in the past, so long as the Lohengramm Dynasty lives on, the Emperor will always stand at the head of the Galactic Empire’s fleets in all battles. This applies to my son, too. The Emperors of the Lohengramm Dynasty will never hide behind their soldiers and go to war from afar in a safe and secure Court. I pledge to you all: A coward will never become Emperor during the Lohengramm Dynasty!”
–Mein Kaiser

“Damn. That wild boar, Bittenfeld. It seems he’s somehow written words like “caution” and “prudence” into his dictionary. What good does it do him to act like an intellectual?”
–Attenborough, when Bittenfeld doesnt fall into his trap.

“A man who quits doing something when a woman tells him to…someone like that probably can’t protect even his own family when needed.”
–Karin.

“If doctors could save everyone, no one would die of any diseases.”
–Mein Kaiser

“Exactly a year ago, Admiral Yang was lost, and now, Kaiser Reinhard has fallen ill. I wonder how much luster space will lose…no, perhaps, it may be a good thing. The age of chaos where heroes and geniuses are needed is ending, and the age of stability where reconciliation, cooperation and order will be valued is coming. Admiral Yang used to say that the collective wisdom of ordinary people is better than one genius. And also, Kaiser Reinhard said that peace is an era of happiness where lack of talent isn’t seen as a vice. That might be a good thing. But before that era comes, I have to meet him – Kaiser Reinhard.

“If that man named Minci withstands my soldiers’ resistance and comes before me, then I will acknowledge his valor at least and can accept his proposals on equal ground…But if he doesn’t even have the strength to come here without the autocratic ruler’s mercy or his subjects’ help, then he isn’t qualified to make any demands of me.”
–Mein Kaiser

“It wasn’t such a deplorable life. What did they call it? Right, I was able to fight against Kaiser Reinhard with “foppery and whim.” I caused much trouble for you, too. From now on, do what you like with your life.”
–Merkatz’s last words to his loyal subordinate.

“Walter von Schenkopp, age 37, died upon leaving these words: “He needs no epitaph for his grave. Only beautiful women’s tears will give peace to his soul.””
–Schenkopp’s last words.

“A democratic republican should never kneel to an autocratic ruler…!”
–Julian.

Episode 109:

“Democracy is great, isn’t it? Because a corporal can give an order to a Lt. Jg.”
–Karin, after ordering Julian to give her a kiss ❤

Attenborough:But still, humans, no, I mean groups of humans, why do they have to shed so many billions of liters of blood, for something they just needed to talk about?

Julian: Do you think it’s just idiocy?

Attenborough: I don’t know. I don’t have the right to criticize them. After all, I’m one of the very people who shed blood out of foppery and whim.

Julian: It may certainly be an act of idiocy. But when humans lose that idiocy, will they evolve for the better?

Muller:While your sorrow began at its starting point, we first have to get to the goal and then start again to fill the void in our hearts…for those of us who are still alive, that is.

Julian: That’s right. For those of us who are still alive, the journey continues. Until the time that they’re to join the dead, they must continue to walk to that day, without being allowed to fly and skip. Still, the fact that I was able to have heartfelt friendly exchanges with the admirals of the Imperial Force is something I’m pleased with. But might that fact plausibly be criticized by posterity as a shameless handshake between mass-murderers? Aside from posterity, I have to accept it no matter how the bereaved of the war dead denounce me. But there was no other way. In order to create the present circumstances, we had to fight first.

Episode 110:

“As long as the one who holds power is the wisest and most powerful in the universe, all will be well. If Alexander Siegfried (Reinhard’s son) does not have the capacity, then there’s no reason to sustain the Lohengramm Dynasty.”
–Mein Kaiser.

“The Kaiser didn’t die of illness; he passed away having used up all of his lifetime. He didn’t fall from illness. Everyone, please don’t forget that…”
–Kaiserin Hilda

“To accomplish just this little thing, we needed 500 years of time and billions of lives. If only the people hadn’t lost their interest in politics around the end of the Galactic Confederation. If only they knew how dangerous it was to give unlimited power to a despot, and if only they had learned from history how many people would be made unhappy under a governmental system that prioritizes national profits over people’s rights, we wouldn’t have had to sacrifice as much as we did. Politics always takes vengeance on those who belittle it.”
–Julian

“As someone who lived in this era, isn’t it our responsibility to give future generations many opportunities for reflection and resolution?”
–Julian again.

And now, the very last scene of this epic series.

Felix, son of Reuenthal, adopted by Mittermeyer and his wife, has just spoken his first word: “Father” to Mittermeyer. As he’s held in the arms of his parents, he looks up to the starry sky of Phezzan, and reaches out a tiny hand in an attempt to grab one of those stars. And as the narrator ss…

“That might be an action thats been repeated endlessly in any era, in any world. Humans always pursue things they can’t reach. Doesn’t it single-heartedly symbolize such yearnings?

The legend ends, and history begins.”

Tags: anime, epic, Legend of Galactic Heroes, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, LoGH, quotable quotes, quotes, Reinhard, science fiction, Yang Wen-Li