He was interested mainly, I might say, solely in his personal standing with Hitler. He spent hours and days drafting letters of protest about Goebbels's interference in his affairs - merely because he was jealous of maintaining his prestige. Ribbentrop had an abnormal desire for rank and position. He wanted personal influence and good standing with Hitler. He did not want anybody to be closer to Hitler than himself. In this way he was unlike Himmler, who, I am convinced, wanted military power. Ribbentrop wanted to satisfy his own vanity. He is a very superficial man.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker says Ribbentrop cared mostly about personal status with Hitler rather than real power.
- In plain terms
- Ribbentrop sought prestige with Hitler instead of actual influence.
- What can you take from it?
- Vanity can drive political behavior more than duty.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is personal standing more important than duty?
- How does vanity affect decisions?
Another view
Personal ambition often drives public roles.
More from Joachim von Ribbentrop
That man always made it a point to speak German, although he spoke English well enough. That was because he imitated Hitler to the last degree. He would say th…
Permalink to quote #14 Need one comment on that fool? He is not a foreign minister but a blind adherent of Hitler. He is also personally disagreeable and vain.
Permalink to quote #16 When apprehensions abroad threatened the success of the Nazi regime for conquest, it was the duplicitous Ribbentrop, the salesman of deception, who was detaile…
Permalink to quote #13
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