Hitler: Denial is a powerful thing... I always thought I could stop any time I wanted. 'If I could just get Czechoslovakia, that'll be the end of it. I'll be happy then.' And then I'd get it and think, well geez, Poland's just up the road a piece and... you know the rest.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote illustrates how denial and incremental escalation lead to unchecked expansion.
- In plain terms
- He thought stopping after one goal would work but kept going.
- What can you take from it?
- Setting arbitrary limits does not prevent escalation.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do we think one goal ends the drive?
- How does denial fuel growth?
Another view
It reduces complex geopolitical aggression to a personal inability to stop.
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