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In some ways, Ernst Kaltenbrunner was the worst of the lot. He was a hulking ox of a man, tall and thin, with a thick neck and a scar running from the left side of his mouth to his nose. His long arms and oversized hands dangling from an elongated body gave him a kind of simian appearance. Even his Nazi colleagues took pleasure in referring to him as the 'Gorilla.' But many gorillas have the quality, at least, of being gentle animals. There was nothing soft about this ruthless killer.

Ernst Kaltenbrunner#39

HistoryWarKaltenbrunnerNaziCharacterAppearance

About this quote

What does it mean?
The quote describes Kaltenbrunner’s physical appearance and contrasts his menacing look with his ruthless nature.
In plain terms
He looked scary and acted cruel, even more so than others.
What can you take from it?
Physical traits can mask true character, often revealing brutality.

Where it applies

  • historical analysis
  • character study

Putting it to work

  • biographical writing
  • criminal profiling

Questions to consider

  • How does appearance influence our judgment of character?
  • What defines a person’s true nature?

Another view

The quote relies on physical descriptors that may be subjective.

More from Ernst Kaltenbrunner

  1. In his memoirs, Albert Speer told how, as he was about to turn in to the Bendlerstrasse, he was ordered to stop at the curb. Almost unrecognizable in the darkn…

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  2. While Hitler claimed that only a tiny clique was responsible, the investigations conducted by Kaltenbrunner resulted in 5,000 executions, and in addition thous…

    Permalink to quote #40
  3. From July 20, the scarred features of Kaltenbrunner had generally been visible at situation conferences. For the soldiers, especially those like Guderian and v…

    Permalink to quote #37

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