There are people whose souls have just withered, people who are willing to go along with anything evil - anything so as not to be suspected of disagreeing with whoever is in power.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the danger of conformity and the moral decay that can result from loyalty to corrupt power.
Vasily Grossman's quote reflects on the moral compromise individuals may face when they choose to align themselves with corrupt or evil powers rather than stand for their beliefs. It suggests that a person's soul can wither in the process of surrendering to the pressures of conformity, failing to disagree even in the face of wrongdoing, which ultimately erodes their integrity and humanity.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of standing up for one's beliefs, this quote could serve as a powerful reminder.
And in this silence of the dumb and these speeches of the blind, in this medly of people bound together by the same grief, terror and hope, in this hatred and lack of understanding between men who spoke the same tongue, you could see much of the tragedy of the twentieth century.
Why do people have memories? It would be easier to die - anything to stop remembering.
Good men and bad men alike are capable of weakness. The difference is simply that a bad man will be proud all his life of one good deed - while an honest man is hardly aware of his good acts, but remembers a single sin for years on end.
How do we expect change to occur if we are not willing to put on the whole armor of God and fight injustice wherever it raises its ugly head?
I never told a victim story about my imprisonment. Instead, I told a transformation story - about how prison changed my outlook, about how I saw that communication, truth, and trust are at the heart of power.
Gambling can turn into a dangerous two-way street when you least expect it. Weird things happen suddenly, and your life can go all to pieces.
I'm not afraid of failing. I don't like to fail. I hate to fail. But I'm not afraid of it.
We must be courageous but also reasonable. The world admires us for walking a tightrope without falling off. It asks us to keep our balance.
Maybe you who condemn me are in greater fear than I who am condemned.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.