--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At that time the authorities used to love…" description: "\"“At that time the authorities used to love to set up their concentration camps in former monasteries: they were enclosed by strong walls, and had good ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_1918_at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-lov_1408479.jpg" --- # At that time the authorities used to love to set up their… ![“At that time the authorities used to love to set up their concentration camps in former monasteries: they were enclosed by strong walls, and had good building, and they were empty. (After all, monks are not human beings and could be tossed out at will.)” quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_1918_at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-lov_1408479.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_1918_at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-lov_1408479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_1918_at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-lov_1408479.jpg) > ““At that time the authorities used to love to set up their concentration camps in former monasteries: they were enclosed by strong walls, and had good building, and they were empty. (After all, monks are not human beings and could be tossed out at will.)”” [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes how authorities repurposed monasteries as concentration camps, highlighting the dehumanization of monks. **In simple terms:** Monasteries became prisons, showing cruelty. Key Takeaway Recognize how power can corrupt institutions. Themes oppression dehumanization history religion politics Mood somber critical Type historical political When to use this quote - war - political repression - religious sites - human rights violations Key Concepts totalitarianism institutional abuse ideological justification Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms allow societies to justify such repurposing? - How can we prevent similar abuses today? A Different Perspective Historical context may differ from modern perceptions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Concentration Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps/) [Concentration-camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps-2/) [Dehumanization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dehumanization/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Monks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monks/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I know now that a writer cannot afford to give in to feelings of rage, disgust, or contempt. Did you answer someone in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/i-know-now-that-a-writer-cannot-afford-to-give-in-to-feelings-of-rage/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“Over the years I have had much occasion to ponder this word, the intelligentsia . We are all very fond of including ourselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/over-the-years-i-have-had-much-occasion-to-ponder-this-word-the/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“Oh yes, it's definitely been jumped on, that egg.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-mccabe/oh-yes-it-s-definitely-been-jumped-on-that-egg/) Tony McCabe > [“Bells Screamed all off key, wrangling together as they collided in midair, horns and whistles mingled shrilly with cries of human distress; sulphur-colored light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/bells-screamed-all-off-key-wrangling-together-as-they-collided-in/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [“Above all, for his merciless, contemptuous treatment of Clifford Chatterley, blown to bits in Flanders in 1918, Lawrence can be damned to hell. Damned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/above-all-for-his-merciless-contemptuous-treatment-of-clifford/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [“1. Bangladesh… In 1971 ... Kissinger overrode all advice in order to support the Pakistani generals in both their civilian massacre policy in East…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/1-bangladesh-in-1971-kissinger-overrode-all-advice-in-order-to-2/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“A circular letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to all German authorities abroad shortly after the November pogroms of 1918 stated: "The emigration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/a-circular-letter-from-the-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-to-all-german/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“Cookery means the knowledge of Medea and of Circe and of Helen and of the Queen of Sheba. It means the knowledge of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cookery-means-the-knowledge-of-medea-and-of-circe-and-of-helen-and-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Shut your eyes,” said Miss Tanner. “Oh no,” said Miranda, “for then I see worse things…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/shut-your-eyes-said-miss-tanner-oh-no-said-miranda-for-then-i-see/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [“Behren's work resists easy classification. It is part expedition journal, part museum installation, part allegorical theatre. At the centre of the evolving vision stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-jansen/behren-s-work-resists-easy-classification-it-is-part-expedition/) Christina Jansen > [“They were the good old days. Don't give up hope in the bad new days, which will become the good old days. We appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/they-were-the-good-old-days-don-t-give-up-hope-in-the-bad-new-days/) [Chögyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [“As for the public, the PR man, like the advertising expert and others who deal with people in the lump, including a number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/as-for-the-public-the-pr-man-like-the-advertising-expert-and-others/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/i-said-then-and-i-say-now-that-while-there-is-a-lower-class-i-am-in/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [“But this is a general objection of the sceptical sort to all miracles of whatever kind, and leadeth anon into the quagmire of arguments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/but-this-is-a-general-objection-of-the-sceptical-sort-to-all-miracles/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“He main retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp. Dostoevsky said once, 'There is only one thing that I dread: not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/he-main-retain-his-human-dignity-even-in-a-concentration-camp/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) ## More by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“...you are strong only as long as you don't deprive people of everything . For a person you've taken everything from is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-are-strong-only-as-long-as-you-don-t-deprive-people-of-everything/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/not-everything-has-a-name-some-things-lead-us-into-a-realm-beyond/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Human nature is full of riddles; . . . one of those riddles is: how is it that people who have been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/human-nature-is-full-of-riddles-one-of-those-riddles-is-how-is-it/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-the-whole-discussion-of-developing-a-national-idea-hastily-began/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Call no day happy 'til it is done; call no man happy til he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/call-no-day-happy-til-it-is-done-call-no-man-happy-til-he-is-dead/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes a person's noblest impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/whenever-the-tissue-of-life-is-woven-of-legalistic-relationships-this/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Surrender one hair, and you'll end up beardless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/surrender-one-hair-and-you-ll-end-up-beardless/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) [Explore all 412 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## More 1918 quotes > [“But this is a general objection of the sceptical sort to all miracles of whatever kind, and leadeth anon into the quagmire of arguments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/but-this-is-a-general-objection-of-the-sceptical-sort-to-all-miracles/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/i-said-then-and-i-say-now-that-while-there-is-a-lower-class-i-am-in/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [“Shut your eyes,” said Miss Tanner. “Oh no,” said Miranda, “for then I see worse things…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/shut-your-eyes-said-miss-tanner-oh-no-said-miranda-for-then-i-see/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [“Cookery means the knowledge of Medea and of Circe and of Helen and of the Queen of Sheba. It means the knowledge of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cookery-means-the-knowledge-of-medea-and-of-circe-and-of-helen-and-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A circular letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to all German authorities abroad shortly after the November pogroms of 1918 stated: "The emigration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/a-circular-letter-from-the-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-to-all-german/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“Above all, for his merciless, contemptuous treatment of Clifford Chatterley, blown to bits in Flanders in 1918, Lawrence can be damned to hell. Damned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/above-all-for-his-merciless-contemptuous-treatment-of-clifford/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [“Bells Screamed all off key, wrangling together as they collided in midair, horns and whistles mingled shrilly with cries of human distress; sulphur-colored light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/bells-screamed-all-off-key-wrangling-together-as-they-collided-in/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) Browse all 8 1918 quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At that time the authorities used to love to set up their concentration camps in former monasteries: they were enclosed by strong walls, and had good building, and they were empty. (After all, monks are not human beings and could be tossed out at will.)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-love-to-set-up-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "1918" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-love-to-set-up-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_1918_at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-lov_1408479.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_1918_at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-lov_1408479.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0e/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_1918_at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-lov_1408479.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At that time the authorities used to love to set up their concentration camps in former monasteries: they…” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“At that time the authorities used...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-love-to-set-up-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/at-that-time-the-authorities-used-to-love-to-set-up-their/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```