--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a moment David was tempted to think…" description: "\"“For a moment David was tempted to think that perhaps there were no good people at all outside concentration camps, but then he reminded himself of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/anne-holm-23374_concentration-camp_for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think_650237.png" --- # For a moment David was tempted to think that perhaps there… ![“For a moment David was tempted to think that perhaps there were no good people at all outside concentration camps, but then he reminded himself of the sailor and Angelo and the English people who might have been ignorant but were certainly not bad.” quote by Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/anne-holm-23374_concentration-camp_for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think_650237.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/anne-holm-23374_concentration-camp_for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think_650237.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/anne-holm-23374_concentration-camp_for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think_650237.png) > ““For a moment David was tempted to think that perhaps there were no good people at all outside concentration camps, but then he reminded himself of the sailor and Angelo and the English people who might have been ignorant but were certainly not bad.”” [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges that despite widespread suffering, there were still ordinary people who were not evil, highlighting nuanced moral judgments. **In simple terms:** Not all outsiders are bad; some are ordinary. Key Takeaway Recognize humanity’s complexity even in dark times. Themes morality war humanity Mood somber reflective Type historical ethical When to use this quote - history lessons - teaching empathy - social analysis Key Concepts ethical nuance historical context Questions to Reflect On - How do we assess moral character in crisis? - What criteria define “good” in extreme conditions? A Different Perspective Risk of overgeneralizing good behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Concentration Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [America is not a wily, sneaky nation. We don't think that way. We don't think much at all, thank God. Start thinking and pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/america-is-not-a-wily-sneaky-nation-we-don-t-think-that-way-we-don-t/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“I hate to admit it," she said, "but for all we hear about the States, Canada's capacity for racism seems even worse." "Worse?" "The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-kogawa/i-hate-to-admit-it-she-said-but-for-all-we-hear-about-the-states/) [Joy Kogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-kogawa/) > [N. S. Khrushchev established his supremacy in the U.S.S.R. after post-Stalinist alarums and excursions (1958-64). This admirable rough diamond, a believer in reform and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hobsbawm/n-s-khrushchev-established-his-supremacy-in-the-u-s-s-r-after-post/) [Eric Hobsbawm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hobsbawm/) > [Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-spender/feminism-has-fought-no-wars-it-has-killed-no-opponents-it-has-set-up-2/) [Dale Spender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-spender/) > [“Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-spender/feminism-has-fought-no-wars-it-has-killed-no-opponents-it-has-set-up/) [Dale Spender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-spender/) > [I don't want any more concentration camps for animals that are cruelly treated, force-fed to fatten themselves up for our consumption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wynn/i-don-t-want-any-more-concentration-camps-for-animals-that-are/) [Steve Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wynn/) > [“Many years later, after Niemöller had been imprisoned for eight years in concentration camps as the personal prisoner of Adolf Hitler, he penned these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/many-years-later-after-niem-ller-had-been-imprisoned-for-eight-years/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [ \[Albert\]Camus had denounced the gulag and Stalin's trials. Today we can see that he was right. 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Just because something works doesn't mean it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-is-not-whether-the-system-works-but-whether-we-like-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Emotion constricted Hawke’s throat. He suddenly understood why the victims of concentration camps had walked quietly to the gas chambers. In the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/emotion-constricted-hawke-s-throat-he-suddenly-understood-why-the/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [“I had no one to point at. Certainly not my parents, because I had nothing to accuse them of. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/but-johannes-had-said-politeness-is-something-you-owe-other-people/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [Johannes had once said that violence and cruelty were just a stupid person's way of making himself felt, because it was easer to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/johannes-had-once-said-that-violence-and-cruelty-were-just-a-stupid/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [You could not bribe honest people, but bad people would accept bribery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/you-could-not-bribe-honest-people-but-bad-people-would-accept-bribery/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [The sun glistened on a drop of water as it fell from his hand to his knee. David wiped it off, but it left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/the-sun-glistened-on-a-drop-of-water-as-it-fell-from-his-hand-to-his/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“Angelo was a grown man, and here was one thing he was quite free to decide for himself, and yet he was ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/angelo-was-a-grown-man-and-here-was-one-thing-he-was-quite-free-to/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“Before he had come to the town he had known about nothing but death: here he had learnt to live, to decide things for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/before-he-had-come-to-the-town-he-had-known-about-nothing-but-death/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“He'd forgotten the most important condition that made it possible for him to go on living: that he should never again grow fond of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/he-d-forgotten-the-most-important-condition-that-made-it-possible-for/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“Johannes said greedy people can never be happy, and I would so much like to know what it feels like to be happy. Johannes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/johannes-said-greedy-people-can-never-be-happy-and-i-would-so-much/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“Yes, he had made a good choice after all when he had chosen the God of the green pasture and the still waters! He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/yes-he-had-made-a-good-choice-after-all-when-he-had-chosen-the-god-of/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“God of the green pastures and the still waters, please don't help me. I want to do it by myself so that You'll know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/god-of-the-green-pastures-and-the-still-waters-please-don-t-help-me-i/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“David set his foot in a gap higher up the barbed wire...When would the searchlight come?They could not be certain of hitting him in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/david-set-his-foot-in-a-gap-higher-up-the-barbed-wire-when-would-the/) [anne holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [Being brave meant that though you might be frightened, you would face the greatest danger if you knew it was the right thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/being-brave-meant-that-though-you-might-be-frightened-you-would-face/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [And his eyes frighten me, too. They're the eyes of an old man, an old man who's seen so much in life that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/and-his-eyes-frighten-me-too-they-re-the-eyes-of-an-old-man-an-old/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) > [“Violence and cruelty were just a stupid person's way of making himself felt, because it was easier to use your hands to strike a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/violence-and-cruelty-were-just-a-stupid-person-s-way-of-making/) [Anne Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) [Explore all 26 Anne Holm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/) ## More Concentration camp quotes > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [“The only lesson I got pounded into me was about man's limitless capacity for vice - that and the fact that social distinctions vanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chol-hwan-kang/the-only-lesson-i-got-pounded-into-me-was-about-man-s-limitless/) Chol-Hwan Kang > [“Emotion constricted Hawke’s throat. He suddenly understood why the victims of concentration camps had walked quietly to the gas chambers. In the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/emotion-constricted-hawke-s-throat-he-suddenly-understood-why-the/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [“This time of year, the purple blooms were busy with life- not just the bees, but butterflies and ladybugs, skippers and emerald-toned beetles, flitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/this-time-of-year-the-purple-blooms-were-busy-with-life-not-just-the/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [There will be in the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude and producing dictatorship without tears, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/there-will-be-in-the-next-generation-or-so-a-pharmacological-method/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I didn't equate a POW camp with a concentration camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hovis/i-didn-t-equate-a-pow-camp-with-a-concentration-camp/) [Larry Hovis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hovis/) > [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [“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/) > [The question is not whether the system works, but whether we like the way it works. Just because something works doesn't mean it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-is-not-whether-the-system-works-but-whether-we-like-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as my record stands in federal court, any American citizen can be held in prison or concentration camps without trial or hearing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-korematsu/as-long-as-my-record-stands-in-federal-court-any-american-citizen-can/) [Fred Korematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-korematsu/) > [“Each of us has his own inner concentration camp... 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Today we can see that he was right. To say that there were concentration camps in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-had-denounced-the-gulag-and-stalin-s-trials-today-we-can/) [Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/) [Browse all 283 Concentration camp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For a moment David was tempted to think that perhaps there were no good people at all outside concentration camps, but then he reminded himself of the sailor and Angelo and the English people who might have been ignorant but were certainly not bad.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Holm" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think-that-perhaps-there-were-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Concentration camp" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think-that-perhaps-there-were-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/anne-holm-23374_concentration-camp_for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think_650237.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/anne-holm-23374_concentration-camp_for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think_650237.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/anne-holm-23374_concentration-camp_for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think_650237.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a moment David was tempted to think that perhaps there were no good people at all outside concentration…” — Anne Holm", "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": "Anne Holm", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-holm/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For a moment David was tempted...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think-that-perhaps-there-were-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-holm/for-a-moment-david-was-tempted-to-think-that-perhaps-there-were-no/#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 } } ] } ```