Everyone is born into a certain era. I wouldn't want to see anyone faced with the circumstances that prevailed at the time, when there were few or no alternatives.
Gunter GrassRead
I belonged to the generation that grew up under National Socialism, and was blinded and led astray - and allowed itself to be led astray.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the dangers of being misled by ideologies and the personal responsibility of recognizing deception.
Gunter Grass's quote serves as a reflection on the moral and ethical implications of belonging to a generation that was influenced by National Socialism. It emphasizes the idea that individuals can become blind to the truths of their circumstances, allowing themselves to be misled by authoritarian ideologies, which leads to a collective moral failure. Grass acknowledges both the victimhood and complicity of those who followed a harmful path, highlighting the importance of critical thought and awareness in safeguarding against such influences.
Themes
National SocialismIdeologyDeceptionResponsibilityBlindness
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on the importance of historical awareness and critical thinking.
More from Gunter Grass
All quotes βI wept when the muse Ulla bent over me. Blinded by tears I could not prevent her from kissing me, I could not prevent the Muse from giving me that terrible kiss. All of you who have ever been kissed by the Muse will surely understand that Oskar, once branded by that kiss, was condemned to take back the drum he had rejected years before, the drum he had buried in the sand of Sapse Cemetery.
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Today I know that all things are watching, that nothing goes unseen, that even wallpaper has a better memory than human beings.
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I did not volunteer for the Waffen SS, but was, as were thousands of my year group, conscripted. I did not then know as a 17-year-old that it was a criminal unit. I thought it was an elite unit.
Gunter GrassRead
Art is uncompromising, and life is full of compromises.
Gunter GrassRead
If work and leisure are soon to be subordinated to this one utopian principle - absolute busyness - then utopia and melancholy will come to coincide: an age without conflict will dawn, perpetually busy - and without consciousness.
Gunter GrassRead
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