I wanted to be of service to the Peace League, and how could I better do so than by trying to write a book which should propagate its ideas? And I could do it most effectively, I thought, in the form of a story.
Bertha Von SuttnerRead
Strange how blind people are! They are horrified by the torture chambers of the Middle Ages, but their arsenals fill them with pride!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the hypocrisy of people who are outraged by past inhumanity while being blind to the violence and weapons of the present.
Bertha Von Suttner's quote critiques humanity's selective outrage towards violence. While many condemn the atrocities of historical periods like the Middle Ages, they often remain prideful about current weapons and militarization, showing a disconnect between moral outrage and contemporary realities. This duality reveals a fundamental issue in societal values, suggesting that humanity can often overlook its ongoing violence while judging its historical past.
Themes
HypocrisyViolenceHumanityOutrageWeapons
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about global peace initiatives, one could use this quote to highlight the inconsistencies in human values.
More from Bertha Von Suttner
All quotes βAfter the verb 'to Love', 'to Help' is the most beautiful verb in the world.
Bertha Von SuttnerRead
How can justice be attained when, in the expiation of an old wrong, another wrong is to be committed? No reasonable creature would conceive of the idea of obliterating ink stains with ink, or spots of oil with oil. Only blood must be washed out with blood.
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I am quite sure that from America will come the greatest help for the cause of peace, and I consider it my duty to inform the people of Europe as to the feelings and intentions of the friends of peace in Europe.
Bertha Von SuttnerRead
The stars of eternal truth and right have always shone in the firmament of human understanding. The process of bringing them down to earth, remolding them into practical forms, imbuing them with vitality, and then making use of them, has been a long one.
Bertha Von SuttnerRead
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