I pray you to believe what I have said about Buchenwald. I have reported what I saw and heard, but only part of it. For most of it I have no words. If I've offended you by this rather mild account of Buchenwald, I'm not in the least sorry.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The horrors of Buchenwald were so severe that words could not fully describe them.
- In plain terms
- The camp was so bad words could not describe it.
- What can you take from it?
- Acknowledge atrocities even when speech fails.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you talk about horror?
- What should we remember?
Another view
Art often describes trauma better than plain speech.
More from Edward R. Murrow
It appeared that most of the men and boys had died of starvation; they had not been executed. But the manner of death seemed unimportant. Murder had been done …
Permalink to quote #21 This I Believe. By that name, we present the personal philosophies of thoughtful men and women in all walks of life. In this brief space, a banker or a butcher…
Permalink to quote #23 We went to the hospital; it was full. The doctor told me that two hundred had died the day before. I asked the cause of death; he shrugged and said, 'Tuberculo…
Permalink to quote #20
Related quotes
Atque ita tribus et viginti plagis confossus est uno modo ad primum ictum gemitu sine voce edito, etsi tradiderunt quidam Marco Bruto irruenti dixisse: ??? ?? …
SuetoniusSuetonius quote #7 It appeared that most of the men and boys had died of starvation; they had not been executed. But the manner of death seemed unimportant. Murder had been done …
Edward R. MurrowEdward R. Murrow quote #21 If Paulus's army had capitulated before the end, the Russians would have had the advantage of withdrawing forces against Paulus and against the southern front,…
Erich von MansteinErich von Manstein quote #1