Zweig’s Echoes in Wein

Sitting in a coffee shop in Vienna feels like stepping into a timeless tradition. The air is filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the subtle sweetness of pastries. The décor blends classic and modern—high ceilings, chandeliers, and plush seating paired with sleek, minimalist touches. It’s the kind of space that invites lingering, whether reading, writing, or simply watching the world go by through the large windows.

Last week, as I sat in a Viennese coffee shop flipping through a newspaper, I was reminded of how difficult it is to be in this setting without thinking back to a time before Europe was shaken. Vienna once held a special place—at the heart of an empire, a nation-state, a fragile tape holding together two sprawling royal domains, and ultimately, a melting pot of ideas that would erupt into the 20th Century.

Stefan Zweig’s words forever echo in my mind during visits like these. As someone on the cusp of a new era, he foresaw the coming storm of history and captured its tragic essence. Today, while working, I revisited some of my favorite passages and felt compelled to share a few of his timeless quotes. Like Zweig, who basked in the world’s art as a backdrop to his explorations, I, too, feel his words capture my emotions better than I ever could.

• “Live and let live” was the famous Viennese motto, which today still seems to me to be more humane than all the categorical imperatives, and it maintained itself throughout all classes.”
• “Formerly man had only a body and a soul. Now he needs a passport as well for without it he will not be treated like a human being.”
• “My today and each of my yesterdays, my rises and falls, are so diverse that I sometimes feel as if I had lived not one, but several existences, each one different from the others.”
• “We saw individual freedom as the greatest good.”
• “Good books are a substitute for the best university.”
• “The worst of it was that the very thing we loved most, our common optimism, betrayed us.”