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He looked to me like an intelligent elementary schoolteacher, certainly not a man of violence. I could not for the life of me see anything outstanding or extraordinary about this middle-sized, youthfully slender man in grey S.S. uniform. Under a brow of average height two grey-blue eyes looked out at me, behind glittering prince-nez, with an air of peaceful interrogation. The trimmed moustache below the straight, well-shaped nose traced a dark line on his unhealthy, pale features. The lips were colourless and very thin. Only the inconspicuous, receding chin surprised me. The skin of his neck was flaccid and wrinkled. With a broadening of his constant, set smile, faintly mocking and sometimes contemptuous about the corners of the mouth, two rows of excellent white teeth appeared between the thin lips. His slender, pale, and almost girlishly soft hands, covered with blue veins, lay motionless on the table throughout our conversation.

Heinrich Himmler#34

HistoryLeadershipPsychologyAppearanceEvilPerception

About this quote

What does it mean?
A physical description of Himmler noting his unremarkable appearance despite his role in violence.
In plain terms
He looked like an ordinary, weak man rather than a violent leader.
What can you take from it?
Evil can wear an ordinary face.

Where it applies

  • historical portraits
  • psychological analysis
  • leadership study

Putting it to work

  • analyzing leaders
  • historical research
  • psychological study

Questions to consider

  • Do we expect villains to look dangerous?
  • How does normalcy hide atrocities?

Another view

Appearance does not reflect actions; this normalizes a criminal.

More from Heinrich Himmler

  1. He had a pale, round, expressionless face, almost Mongolian, and a completely inoffensive air. Nor in his early years did I ever hear him advocate the race the…

    Permalink to quote #33
  2. For him the Russian war offered a glorious opportunity for comparative anatomy: while immense armies were manoeuvring over the frozen plains and smashing each …

    Permalink to quote #32
  3. There was also Himmler the crusader and visionary, the man who built a romantic castle in a German forest where the knights of the S.S., many of whom could har…

    Permalink to quote #31

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