Bertolt Brecht

Of no account at all How you look. But what you have seen And what you reveal does count. It is worth knowing what you know. They will watch you To see how well you have watched. But one who observes only himself Gains no knowledge of men. Form himself he hides too much of himself And no man is wiser than he had become. Therefore your training must begin among The lives of other people. Make your first school The place you work in, your home, The district to which you belong, The shop, the street, the train. Observe each one you set eyes upon. Observe strangers as if they were familiar And those whom you know as if they were strangers

To observe you must learn to compare. To be able to compare You must have observed already. From observation comes knowledge. But knowledge is needed to observe. He who does not know What to make of his observation Will observe badly. The fruit grower will look at the apple tree With a keener eye than the strolling walker. But only he knows that the fate of man in man Can see his fellow men keenly with accuracy.

All this watch closely. Then in your mind's eye From all the struggles waged Make pictures Unfolding and growing like movements in history.