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Diabolical Quotes

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Diabolical Quotes

“Envisioning and organizing the [death camp Sonderkommandos] was National Socialism’s most diabolical crime…Through this institution, the attempt was made to shift the burden of guilt to others, that is, to the victims, so that not even the awareness that they were innocent was left to bring them relief. It is neither easy nor pleasant to plumb the depths of this evil, but I think it has to be done, because what was perpetrated yesterday could be attempted again tomorrow, and could involve us or our children. There is a temptation to turn away and to distract the mind: it is a temptation that must be resisted. In fact, the existence of the Sonderkommandos had a meaning and contained a message: ‘We, the Lord’s people, are your destroyers, but you are no better than us; if we want to, as we do, we are capable of destroying not only your bodies but also your souls, just as we have destroyed our own.”

EvilGuiltDiabolical
Book:The Complete Works of Primo Levi
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“In Confessions of a Justified Sinner James Hogg is neither identified with, nor overwhelmed by, the darkness in the universe, nor does he suffer from hatred or despair. He sees the cause of Wringhim's disintegration as an inner weakness which chooses to identify with false doctrine. Since Wringhim lives in illusion, he is easy meat for a master practitioner of it. Hogg himself, on the other hand, is confident of his personal wholeness. He repudiates extreme doctrine from a basis of robust common sense, and his recognition of the power of the diabolical sublime does not endanger his own sense of solid worth. He retains a forth-right good-will which shows itself in cheerful endorsement of those characters in the book who accept life and enjoy themselves.”

Common SenseDiabolicalFalse DoctrineJames HoggRobert Wringhim
Book:The Great Shadow House: Essays on the Metaphysical Tradition in Scottish Fiction
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“Anything else?” asked Matthias. “I like singing,” said Alys. Wylan shook his head frantically, mouthing, No, no, no. “Shall I sing?” Alys asked hopefully. “Bajan says that I’m good enough to be on the stage.” “Maybe we save that for later—” suggested Jesper. Alys’ lower lip began to wobble like a plate about to break. “Sing,” Matthias blurted, “by all means, sing.” And then the real nightmare began. It wasn’t that Alys was so bad, she just never stopped. She sang between bites of food. She sang while she was walking through the graves. She sang from behind a bush when she needed to relieve herself. When she finally dozed off, she hummed in her sleep. “Maybe this was Van Eck’s plan all along,” Kaz said glumly when they’d assembled outside the tomb again. “To drive us mad?” said Nina. “It’s working.” Jesper shut his eyes and groaned. “Diabolical.”

SingingNightmareNina ZenikDiabolicalMatthias HelvarKaz BrekkerJesper FaheyWylan Van Eck
Book:Crooked Kingdom
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“(...)entre todas las razas del mundo, nuestra sed, o mejor dicho, nuestra avidez, de tesoros, de oro, de especias y de dominio, ¡oh, si!, sobre todo del dulce dominio, ¡es la más aguda, la más insaciable, la más carente de todo escrúpulo! Es esta avidez la que alimenta nuestro progreso, no sé si con fines diabólicos o divinos. Ni usted tampoco lo sabe, señor. Ni yo tengo el menor interés en saberlo. Simplemente, me alegro de que el Creador me arrojase del lado de los vencedores.”

ProgressDivineWinnerWinEspañolSpanishDiabolicalProgresoDivinoVencerDiabólico
Book:Cloud Atlas
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“The invention of the devil. If we are possessed by the devil, it cannot be by one, for then we should live, at least here on earth, quietly, as with God, in unity, without contradiction, without reflection, always sure of the man behind us. His face would not frighten us, for as diabolical beings we would, if somewhat sensitive to the sight, be clever enough to prefer to sacrifice a hand in order to keep his face covered with it. If we were possessed by only a single devil, one who had a calm, untroubled view of our whole nature, and freedom to dispose of us at any moment, then that devil would also have enough power to hold us for the length of a human life high above the spirit of God in us, and even to swing us to and fro, so that we should never get to see a glimmer of it and therefore should not be troubled from that quarter. Only a crowd of devils could account for our earthly misfortunes. Why don’t they exterminate one another until only a single one is left, or why don’t they subordinate themselves to one great devil? Either way would be in accord with the diabolical principle of deceiving us as completely as possible. With unity lacking, of what use is the scrupulous attention all the devils pay us? It simply goes without saying that the falling of a human hair must matter more to the devil than to God, since the devil really loses that hair and God does not. But we still do not arrive at any state of well-being so long as the many devils are within us.”

GodDevilDiabolicalDevil Within
Book:Diaries, 1910-1923
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“Almost 30 years before Rwanda, before Darfur, more than 2 million people - mothers, children, babies, civilians - lost their lives as a result of the blatantly callous and unnecessary policies enacted by the leaders of the federal government of Nigeria. It's this charge that's dominated the book's Nigerian press, so far as I can see, the accusation, on the one hand, that Awolowo hatched "a diabolical policy to reduce the numbers of his enemies significantly through starvation - eliminating over two million people, mainly members of future generations.”

PeopleYearsChildrenI CanTwoBookHandsGovernmentMotherLostResultsNumbersLeaderEnemyMillionsGenerationsPolicyBabyMembersPressesUnnecessaryFederal GovernmentFuture GenerationCiviliansStarvationNigeriaAccusationEliminatingRwandaDiabolicalCallousMother ChildDarfur
Author:Chinua Achebe
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“Quotas are a perfectly logical, if diabolical, extension of the regulation of private property courtesy of the Civil Rights Act, whereby in an attempt to shape American society in politically pleasing ways, people have been coerced into liking, hiring or renting against their will or better judgment.”

PeopleIfsWayHas BeensRightsShapesJudgmentPropertyCivil RightsLogicalRegulationExtensionsCourtesyHiringPrivate PropertyAmerican SocietyDiabolicalQuotaCivil Rights Act
Author:Ilana Mercer
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“It appears an extraordinary thing to me, that since there is such a diabolical spirit in the depravity of human nature, as persecution for difference of opinion in religious tenets, there never happened to be any inquisition, any auto da fe, any crusade, among the Pagans.”

HumansSpiritDifferencesReligiousOpinionHappenedHuman NatureExtraordinaryIntolerancePersecutionPaganCrusadesDepravityExtraordinary ThingsInquisitionDiabolicalDifferences Of Opinion
Book:The Works of Laurence Sterne ...: With a Life of the Author, Written by Himself ...
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“The first diabolical character who intruded himself on my peaceful youth (as I called to mind that day at Dullborough), was a certain Captain Murderer. This wretch must have been an off-shoot of the Blue Beard family, but I had no suspicion of the consanguinity in those times. His warning name would seem to have awakened no general prejudice against him, for he was admitted into the best society and possessed immense wealth. Captain Murderer's mission was matrimony, and the gratification of a cannibal appetite with tender brides.”

MindFirstsHas BeensCharacterSeemsCertainNamesWealthYouthPrejudiceBlueMissionsPeacefulWarningAppetitePossessedImmenseSuspicionCaptainsMurdererGratificationBeardAwakenedBridesMatrimonySpookyCannibalDiabolical
Book:The Complete Works of Charles Dickens: The Uncommercial Traveller
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“There is a diabolical trio existing in the natural man, implacable, inextinguishable, co-operative and consentaneous, pride, envy, and hate; pride that makes us fancy we deserve all the goods that others possess; envy that some should be admired while we are overlooked; and hate, because all that is bestowed on others, diminishes the sum we think due to ourselves.”

ThinkingMenShouldHateNaturalPrideDeserveDuesEnvyFancyGoodsDiminishOverlookedDiabolicalTrios
Book:Lacon: Or Many Things in Few Words Addressed to Those who Think
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“Everybody gets plagued by indifference and monotony. The truth is, there are concepts that are constantly being repeated in this world, since the beginning of time, but it doesn't seem like any of us have mastered them. So my advice is to keep going with the topic, which usually has to do with redemption, love, compassion, freedom, injustice, perversion, divinity, the diabolical... keep going with your thoughts, and your heart, and push them through to transformation.”

WorldHeartSeemsCompassionAdviceThis WorldTruth IsConceptsTransformationInjusticeRedemptionIndifferenceDivinityKeep GoingTopicsPerversionMonotonyDiabolical
Author:Kelly Cutrone
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“The fundamental article of my political creed is that despotism, or limited sovereignty, or absolute power is the same [whether] in a majority of a popular assembly; an aristocratic council; or oligarchical junto and a single emperor - equally arbitrary, cruel, bloody and in every respect diabolical.”

PoliticalAbsolutesFundamentalsMajorityTyrannyArticlesCreedsBloodySovereigntyCouncilArbitraryEmperorAssemblyDespotismAbsolute PowerDiabolicalAristocratic
Author:John Adams
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“If history reveals any categorical truth, it is that an insufficient taste for evidence regularly brings out the worst in us. Add weapons of mass destruction to this diabolical clockwork, and you have . . . a recipe for the fall of civilization.”

IfsReligionFallWorstCivilizationTasteWeaponsMassEvidenceDestructionAddRecipesWeapons Of Mass DestructionMass DestructionInsufficientClockworkDiabolical
Book:The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
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“The frightful engines of ecclesiastical councils, of diabolical malice, and Calvinistical good-nature never failed to terrify me exceedingly whenever I thought of preaching.”

AtheismPositive AtheismEnginesPreachingCouncilMaliceGood NatureDiabolical
Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations
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“In the tangled hierarchy sinner and saint, divine and diabolical, sacred and profane are different faces of our collective Being. Therefore angry activism driven by rage, however justified it seems, is really not going to work. I believe that the tangled hierarchy wants us to move to the next state of evolution and very strongly desires us to take that quantum leap of creativity.”

WantBelieveDifferentStatesSeemsFacesMovingDesireNextI BelieveCreativityDivineEvolutionAngrySacredSaintDrivenActivismRageCollectivesSinnerLeapVery StrongQuantumJustifiedGoing To WorkWant UHierarchyBeing ThereTangledProfaneDiabolicalQuantum LeapDifferent Faces
Author:Deepak Chopra
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“The history of the world for the past several centuries and current events at home and abroad confirm the existence of such a conspiracy (to destroy Christianity and obtain global power). The world-wide net-work of diabolical conspirators implements this plot against the Christian faith while Christians appear to be sound asleep. The Christian clergy appear to be more ignorant or more indifferent about this conspiracy than other Christians ... It seems so sad.”

WorldHomeSeemsChristianPastSoundExistenceChristianityCenturyEventsCurrentsWideIgnorantPlotConspiracyIndifferentWorld HistoryChristian FaithClergySo SadDiabolicalCurrent EventsConspirators
Author:Benjamin H. Freedman
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“The diabolical thing about melancholy is not that it makes you ill but that it makes you conceited and shortsighted; yes almost arrogant. You lapse into bad taste, thinking of yourself as Heine's Atlas, whose shoulders support all the world's puzzles and agonies, as if thousands, lost in the same maze, did not endure the same agonies.”

IfsThinkingWorldLostSupportTasteEndureIllShouldersMelancholyArrogantAgonyPuzzlesMazesConceitedLapsesBad TasteAtlasDiabolicalThinking Of Yourself
Author:Hermann Hesse
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