Skip to content
quotesby

But then I ask myself, I have never truly known the man whose flank I have lead one difficult and ascetic life for. Perhaps he has played with my idealism, taking advantage for dark scopes that he has held hidden within himself. How can I expect to know a man who has never opened his heart to me? Till now I do not know what he really thought, knew or wanted. I was alone with my thoughts and my suspicions. And now, the veil that covered this statue has fallen to the ground and instead of an art work, a monster has revealed itself. Now we leave to the historians of the future the task of discussing if that statue was therefore a sin from the beginning, or was changed because of the circumstances. I continue to make the same error: I try to think back to his humble origins. But then I remember how many sons of these people have sealed their history with his name.

Alfred Jodl#10

HitlerLeadershipDisillusionmentJudgmentMoralityReflection

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker reflects on never truly knowing the leader, realizing now that a perceived art piece was actually a monster.
In plain terms
I never knew him; he was a monster, not art.
What can you take from it?
Realizing a leader is a monster.

Where it applies

  • reflection
  • post-war analysis

Putting it to work

  • studying moral failure
  • analyzing post-war reflections

Questions to consider

  • When does a leader become a monster?
  • Can idealism justify following evil?

Another view

Late realization does not negate prior complicity.

More from Alfred Jodl

  1. To this very day, I do not know what he (Hitler) thought or knew or really wanted. I only knew my own thoughts and suspicions.

    Permalink to quote #9
  2. Jodl was someone who acted against better knowledge and conscience and did what Hitler told him.

    Permalink to quote #11
  3. It is tragic that the Fuehrer should have the whole nation behind him with the single exception of the Army generals. In my opinion it is only by action that t…

    Permalink to quote #8

Related quotes

  1. So if depite that, Hitler prepared war, he perpetrated the greatest lie and betrayal in the world. This trial clearly shows that Hitler did just that. I have n…

    Hans FritzscheHans Fritzsche quote #2
  2. At that stage my heart ruled my head'.

    Ratu Sir Kamisese MaraRatu Sir Kamisese Mara quote #3
  3. A group of politicians deciding to dump a President because his morals are bad is like the Mafia getting together to bump off the Godfather for not going to ch…

    Russell BakerRussell Baker quote #7