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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.

Joachim von Ribbentrop#15

PoliticsHistoryMotivationPowerVanity

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

  • political analysis
  • biographical study

Putting it to work

  • evaluate motives
  • study political behavior

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

  1. 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…

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  2. 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
  3. 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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