Most people have no imagination. If they could imagine the sufferings of others, they would not make them suffer so. What separated a German mother from a French mother? Slogans which deafened us so that we could not hear the truth.

Ernst Toller
About This Quote

This quote is often misused, often by those who are struggling to make it through their day. But more important, it’s used to try to justify the suffering of others. The French mother might have an argument against Nazi propaganda, but she’ll never convince a German mother that her child is being killed in war.

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More Quotes By Ernst Toller
  1. Most people have no imagination. If they could imagine the sufferings of others, they would not make them suffer so. What separated a German mother from a French mother? Slogans which deafened us so that we could not hear the truth.
  2. Gradually I became aware of details: a company of French soldiers was marching through the streets of the town. They broke formation, and went in single file along the communication trench leading to the front line. Another group followed them.
  3. Slogans which deafened us so that we could not hear the truth.
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