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Quote by Robin Hobb

“And a moment later he was telling me how one could sicken a man just by feeding him rhubarb and spinach at the same sitting, sicken him even to death if the portions were sufficient, and never set a bit of poison on the table at all.”

Quote by Robin Hobb

Book:Assassin's Apprentice

Work

Assassin's Apprentice

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Author

Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is an American novelist renowned for her fantasy novels. Her works are known for their complex characters and in-depth historical backgrounds, which have won her a dedicated following. more

“More often and more insistently as that time recedes, we are asked by the young who our "torturers" were, of what cloth were they made. The term torturers alludes to our ex-guardians, the SS, and is in my opinion inappropriate: it brings to mind twisted individuals, ill-born, sadists, afflicted by an original flaw. Instead, they were made of the same cloth as we, they were average human beings, averagely intelligent, averagely wicked: save the exceptions, they were not monsters, they had our faces, but they had been reared badly. They were, for the greater part, diligent followers and functionaries, some frantically convinced of the Nazi doctrine, many indifferent, or fearful of punishment, or desirous of a good career, or too obedient. All of them had been subjected to the terrifying miseducation provided for and imposed by the schools created in accordance with the wishes of Hitler and his collaborators, and then completed by the SS "drill." Many had joined this militia because of the prestige it conferred, because of its omnipotence, or even just to escape family problems. Some, very few in truth, had changes of heart, requested transfers to the front lines, gave cautious help to prisoners or chose suicide. Let it be clear that to a greater or lesser degree all were responsible, but it must bee just as clear that behind their responsibility stands that the great majority of Germans who accepted in the beginning, out of mental laziness, myopic calculation, stupidity, and national pride the "beautiful words" of Corporal Hitler, followed him as long as luck and lack of scruples favored him, were swept away by his ruin, afflicted by deaths, misery, and remorse, and rehabilitated a few years later as the result of an unprincipled political game.”

Holocaust World History Nazism Holocaust History Primo Levi

Author:Primo Levi

“. . . I've learned over the years that if more people knew more about history, our world would be a better place. History is constantly speaking to us. Travelers enjoy a privileged way to hear it—and sometimes an up-close chance to witness history in the making.”

History World History Traveling Learning From The Past Living History

Book:For the Love of Europe: My Favorite Places, People, and Stories

Source: For the Love of Europe: My Favorite Places, People, and Stories

“All too often world history is told as if religion did not matter. The Spanish conquered New Spain for gold, and the British came to New England to catch fish. The French Revolution had nothing to do with Catholicism, and the U.S. civil rights movement was a purely humanitarian endeavor. But even if religion makes no sense to you, you need to make sense of religion to make sense of the world.”

Religion World History

Book:God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter

Source: God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter

“No universal history leads from savagery to humanitarianism, but there is one leading from the slingshot to the atomic bomb.”