I am reading a book that features several quotes from the less than savory characters of history. Since I have in the past included quotes from famous Americans I thought it would be interesting to give other people equal space. If you don't think about who is saying the quotes some of them are pretty good.
Hitler: "By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise." "All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of people."
Stalin: "A sincere diplomat is like dry water or wooden iron." "Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." "Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs." "History shows that there are no invincible armies." "Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns,why should we let them have ideas."
Mussolini: "Inactivity is death." "It's good to trust others but,not to do so is much better." "The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito." "The history of saints is mainly the history of insane people."
Hitler: "By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise." "All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of people."
Stalin: "A sincere diplomat is like dry water or wooden iron." "Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." "Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs." "History shows that there are no invincible armies." "Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns,why should we let them have ideas."
Mussolini: "Inactivity is death." "It's good to trust others but,not to do so is much better." "The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito." "The history of saints is mainly the history of insane people."
so.....these guys were not that sweet and kind. Hence the nasty style of their quotes. They lived according to their particular beliefs and it got them sort of far, and then dead. And what they gave to the world were serious lessons in how not to behave when in a powerful position. I wish more of our world leaders would use those lessons.
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