Wilhelm von Pressel

Wilhelm von Pressel (1821–1902) was a German official and railway engineer to the Ottoman Empire who attempted to acquire funding for the Baghdad Railway. His previous rail constructions included lines in the Balkans and across Europe. He believed himself a global citizen and is often called the "Father of the Baghdad Railway".

Quotes

 * Earth, thou grain of sand on the shore of the Universe of God; thou Bethlehem, amongst the princely cities of the heavens; thou art, and remainest, the Loved One amongst ten thousand suns and worlds, the Chosen of God! Thee will He again visit, and then thou wilt prepare a throne for Him, as thou gavest Him a manger cradle; in His radiant glory wilt thou rejoice, as thou didst once drink His blood and tears, and mourn His death! On thee has the Lord a great work to complete.
 * Reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 102.