Tjaden There used to be some food in the sawdust. Now it's all sawdust. No joke either.
Played by Slim Summerville 
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) · 32 quotes
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) · 32 quotes
3rd most-quoted character in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): in 6 of its 32 quotes
Most scenes with: Paul Bäumer (2)
It's gonna be a real war again.
More lines from Tjaden
3 quotes Tjaden Tjaden Replacements are all like that. Not even old enough to carry a pack. All they know how to do is die.
Tjaden [of Katczinsky]
If he were out, the war would be over. You remember what he always said: 'They're savin' him for the last.'
Scenes with Tjaden
2 scenes
You see, we haven't eaten since breakfast, we thought maybe you could tell us what we ought to do about it.
Tjaden Eat without further delay. It's a bad town to bring an appetite to, soldier. We've been here since yesterday morning and we've been living on a bale of hay and razor blades.
Tjaden Well, how do they start a war?
Soldier #1
Well, one country offends another.
Tjaden How could one country offend another? You mean there's a mountain over in Germany gets mad at a field over in France?
Soldier #1
Well, stupid. One people offends another.
Tjaden Oh, that's it. I shouldn't be here at all. I don't feel offended.
It don't apply to tramps like you.
Tjaden Good. Then I can be going home right away...The Kaiser and me...Me and the Kaiser felt just alike about this war. We didn't neither of us want any war, so I'm going home. He's there already.
Soldier #1
Somebody must have wanted it. Maybe it was the English. No, I don't want to shoot any Englishman. I never saw one 'til I came up here. And I suppose most of them never saw a German 'til they came up here. No, I'm sure they weren't asked about it.
Soldier #2
Well, it must be doing somebody some good.
Tjaden Not me and the Kaiser.
Soldier #1
I think maybe the Kaiser wanted a war.
Tjaden You leave us out of this.
I don't see that. The Kaiser's got everything he needs.
Soldier #1
Well, he never had a war before. Every full-grown Emperor needs one war to make him famous. Why, that's history.
Yeah, Generals too. They need war.
Soldier #3
And manufacturers. They get rich.
Soldier #1
Nobody wants it in particular. And then all at once, here it is. We didn't want it. The English didn't want it. And here we are fighting.
I'll tell ya how it should all be done. Whenever there's a big war comin' on, you should rope off a big field.
Soldier #1
And sell tickets.
Yeah, and, and, on the big day, you should take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put them in the center dressed in their underpants and let 'em fight it out with clubs. The best country wins.
