“The fall of the Berlin Wall is very much a sequel, a continuation of t...” — Serge Schmemann Quote

“The fall of the Berlin Wall is very much a sequel, a continuation of the story about Eastern Europe emerging from war and Communism. The notion of presenting history as a story also appealed to me very much, since that is the way I look at the events I cover as a reporter.”

“The art of reading between the lines is as old as manipulated information.”

“Every time some spoiled European soccer millionaire complains about the blaring vuvuzelas, I want them to blare louder.”

“If I'd been living in Berlin in 1933-34, could I possibly have foreseen the Holocaust and all the corollary horrors of World War II? And if I had, would I have done anything about it? I also started to wonder: how does a culture slip its moorings?”

“Dietz and Schwartz have sort of fallen by the wayside a little bit, and they are up there with Rodgers and Hart and Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. They are the finest of the revue composers - their stuff is so good and so strong.”

“There is something about the name Berlin that evokes an image of men in hats and long coats standing under streetlamps on rainy nights.”