“The way in which one handles risk distinguishes between a serious engineer and a speculator and gambler.” Adolf Münzinger, agricultural economist, 1876 – 1962.
“Every person is an artist, whether trashman, nurse, medical physician, engineer or farmer.” Joseph Beuys, German sculptor, 1921 – 1986.
“A German engineer strolls into a primeval forest with a few tin cans and comes out later with a locomotive.” Felix Wankel, inventor of the rotary engine, 1902 – 1988.
“Engineers are the camels on which the business people ride.” Author unknown
Jammern auf hohem Niveau – whining at a high level. This is one of the many ways in which Germans complain about their complaining. And, indeed, the Germans complain quite a bit. Nothing seems to be right, or just right, or good enough.
Sven Astheimer wrote a very interesting editorial in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in June of 2015. His basic argument was that German whining – a more accurate term is German Unzufriedenheit or dissatisfaction – is one of the German people’s great strengths.
Never being fully satisfied. Always “looking for the hair in the soup.” Striving for perfection. “Geht nicht, gibt’s es nicht” is a very well-known German figure of speech. It translates loosely into: “It can’t work, doesn’t work for me.” Or “It’s impossible, is impossible.”
Astheimer fears that Germans are becoming too satisfied. The country is extraordinarily successful. Strong economy. Balanced federal budget. A finely meshed social net protecting the weak and the unfortunate (and the lazy).
In other words, Jammern is under threat. Germany does not have abundant resources. It has only the creativity, the innovation, the strong minds of its people. Knowhow. And knowing how to do something – how to do it better or in a new way – is driven, is sparked, by Unzufriedenheit.
The Germans are extremely proud of their bread culture – and pretty scathing about bread from most other countries (don’t get them started on Toastbrot.) Since moving to Germany, Rachel has discovered the delights of fresh German bread from the local bakery.
But there’s still one thing getting between her and a bag of crusty bread rolls. Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. Back then, as a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life. Every two weeks she explores a new topic – from unusual bans to meaty cuisine or haunted castles. This week: bread.
Tom Scholz. MIT graduate. Engineer. Focused on his craft. Uninterested in money or fame or music labels. Taught himself how to play the electrical guitar. Scholz. An American. Of German descent.
YouTube comments:
“I was 16 and (fortunately) working at a local record store on release day for the first album. The boss / owner and I unboxed all the new releases and put them on the hit wall before opening. We maybe got 30 copies. I thought the cover was pretty intriguing so cracked the album for some in store play. We stopped what we were doing and listened to the whole album play through just looking at each other in amazement. Still remember what he said: “Every damn song is a hit.” He placed an order for at least 60 more before we even opened the store. The album stayed in play all day and …every customer that came in that morning bought a copy. Never saw anything like it, before or since.”
“I’m 61 and remember hearing “More Than a Feeling” sitting in the back seat of our station wagon while heading to Atlanta from my home in south Georgia. When we got back home a few days later, I gathered my savings from working in the fields and caught a ride with my sister to a local record store. I bought the album and still have it to this day. I was floored after putting it on my dad’s big stereo. I read the back cover over and over as I re-played the album several times straight through some massive earphones. I’ll never forget that glorious day. Thanks, Tom!”
“I’m 64 and I can remember the first time I heard the debut Boston album like it was yesterday. I was 16, in another town playing hockey. My buddy were walking around and saw a cool looking long haired dude setting up 4 house speakers on his lawn. More Than a Feeling started and I was mesmerized. The sound, the guitars, were like nothing I had ever heard. Still get goosebumps from this record. A true masterpiece from a Master.”
“A good friend of mine met Tom when they came through Spokane in ’77 or ’78. My friend was working as a bellhop/waiter at the new Sheraton hotel, Boston was in town for a concert. My buddy knew they were staying at the hotel, and when he delivered room service up to Tom’s room, he brought his copy of that first Boston album up to the room with him. Got all the signatures (as I recall) on the album. I was jealous a bit, but happy for him.”
Qualität. Quality. Latin qualitas, how something has been made, a characteristic; how crafted; the sum or totality of characteristics; the level of workmanship.
Beschaffenheit. The outer, inner, material, make-up of something.
Tüftler. Tinkerer. Someone who with patience and stamina can work on a complex problem; a kind of inventor; a person who finds new ways to solve a difficult problem.
Ingenieur. Latin ingenium, an ingenious person, inventive, complex thinker; to create, produce; one trained at a university.
Dem Ingenieur ist nichts zu schwör! For the engineer is nothing too difficult, with Ingenieur and schwör rhyming, from the Engineer‘s Song by Hinrich Seidel, a German engineer and novelist of the 19th Century.
The text of the song contiues: Dem Ingenieur ist nichts zu schwere – Er lacht und spricht, geht dieses nicht, so geht doch das! For the engineer is nothing is too difficult. He laughs and claims: It this doesn‘t work, then that will!
Wo man ihm ein Rätsel schenkt, steht der Ingenieur und denkt. When he‘s given a problem, the engineer stands still and ponders, with schenkt (to give) and denkt (to think) rhyming. Engineers are tinkerers. They‘ll work on something until they find an acceptable solution.
A comment from Oliver in Berlin on an article from March 5, 2025 in the New York Times online with the title “Tesla Sales Slump in Europe as Anger Toward Elon Musk Grows.”
“Having worked in marketing for automotive a lot, image is half the hill when you consider high investment purchases like cars. In Germany you think a lot about what your neighbors think. That’s why even ultra rich Germans almost never would buy a Rolls Royce or Bugatti because it sends the ‘wrong’ message about themselves. That said, it’s not just the negative image Tesla has because of Musk. Germans are very detailed and technology obsessed when it comes to cars. And Tesla lost a lot of ground recently while Germany’s car makers not only caught up but even leading in many ways. In design and tech and, definitely in reputation and image. Hard times for Tesla are coming.”
The BBC reported in September 2013: “I think the apprentices will be guaranteed a job when we go back, so I think we’ll be ok,” said Rhys from Bristol, UK. He is one of just 2,200 young workers chosen from some 45,000 applicants by the electronics and electrical engineering giant Siemens for its pan-European training scheme.
Another apprentice, 21-year-old Gabriel from Northampton, says he came to Berlin to learn the German way. “They are much more precise, they go into detail a lot more. It helps you understand why all the best engineers and creatives come from here.”
“Everybody knows what the label ‘Made in Germany’ means,” says 22-year-old Vainius from Lithuania. “This is a perfect example of how they do it. It is an excellent chance for everyone here.“
Germany’s vocational system has been around for decades and is deeply embedded in society. Youngsters who are not qualified for or interested in going to university can join a program in which they work part of the week for a firm that pays them and teaches them relevant skills. The rest of the time they spend in the classroom.
Chambers of commerce and industry bodies are involved to ensure that the work and the teaching are matched. After their apprenticeships, the trainees often have jobs to walk into, in sectors including electrical engineering, sales and marketing, shipping and agriculture.
Roughly two out of three young Germans go through this system.
Harry’s makes shaving equipment for men. Two American MBAs with experience in strategy consulting bought a German manufacturer in Thuringia (Thüringen in former East Germany), founded in 1920. Their goal is to challenge the world’s dominant products.
“Our team in Germany has been grinding high-grade steel into some of the world’s sharpest blades since 1920. Today, more than four hundred German engineers, designers, craftsmen, and production workers build and operate sophisticated, custom equipment that produces millions of precision blades per year. We’re excited to partner with our new team to innovate and continue to make the fine blades you deserve.
Our blades will get even better. Your shave will get even better. We’ll listen to your feedback about what makes a great shave and create products that deliver you that experience. In the end, we hope you’ll enjoy shaving even more.
We spent over a year meticulously crafting our first Harry’s line. Our blades are made by German engineers with decades of experience honing high-grade steel. Our handles were designed to blend timeless simplicity and modern ergonomics. Our shaving cream comes from the same chemists who make creams for high-end brands. The result: a set of modern shaving products made with respect for the tradition of a good, clean shave.”
Quality product combined with respectful marketing.
And John Otto Magee – creator of understand-culture – is a very happy Harry’s Razors customer. So happy that he recommends Harry’s to friends. All the time. Thanks, Harry’s. And special thanks to those great Germans in Thüringen !
Of particular interest to us as students of German culture are minutes 22:20 to 25:00 in this very interesting mini-documentary about Hans Holbein. Pay particular attention to the segment 24:00-24:37. “If you wanted precision, quality and Vorsprung durch Technik (the current motto of Audi) you bought German.”
Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) was a German painter and printmaker who worked in the Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century.
Holbein was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, but he worked mainly in Basel, Switzerland as a young artist. Holbein travelled to England in 1526 in search of work, with a recommendation from the great European thinker, Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Holbein was welcomed into the humanist circle of Thomas More, the Archbishop of Canterbury, where he quickly built a strong reputation. By 1535, he was King’s Painter to none other than Henry VIII of England.
And by the way, the documentary is done exceptionally well. Tudor England. Henry the VIII. Thomas More. And, of course, Thomas Cromwell. Very much worth watching in full.
Harvard Business Review. October 31, 2001. Tom Davenport, Business Professor at Babson College: Was Steve Jobs a Good Decision Maker?
„He (Jobs) also didn’t believe in analytical decisions based on extensive market research.“ Quoting The New York Times’ obituary: „Mr. Jobs’s own research and intuition, not focus groups, were his guide. When asked what market research went into the iPad, Mr. Jobs replied: ‘None. It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want.’”
Steve Jobs was not of German descent. It was known, however, that he had great respect for German design and technology. He and his family, it was reported, had debated for weeks what brand of washing machine they should choose. His arguments won out. Miele.