--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I watched as the silver Mercedes without…" description: "\"“I watched as the silver Mercedes without snow tires made its way up Fetterman taking a right on Aspen and thought about a man who had escaped the conc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/craig-johnson-3716_concentration-camp_i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without_470522.png" --- # I watched as the silver Mercedes without snow tires made… ![“I watched as the silver Mercedes without snow tires made its way up Fetterman taking a right on Aspen and thought about a man who had escaped the concentration camps and now drove a German car. The Hun be damned. I” quote by Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/craig-johnson-3716_concentration-camp_i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without_470522.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/craig-johnson-3716_concentration-camp_i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without_470522.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/craig-johnson-3716_concentration-camp_i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without_470522.png) > ““I watched as the silver Mercedes without snow tires made its way up Fetterman taking a right on Aspen and thought about a man who had escaped the concentration camps and now drove a German car. The Hun be damned.     I”” [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on the irony of a Holocaust survivor driving a German car, confronting lingering resentment toward Germany. **In simple terms:** Survivor drives German car, feeling conflicted. Key Takeaway Acknowledge complex emotions about history. Themes memory irony historical trauma identity Mood cynical introspective Type narrative historical When to use this quote - driving - travel - encountering symbols of past - self‑reflection Key Concepts post‑war reconciliation personal conflict Questions to Reflect On - How do symbols of past oppressors affect survivors? - Can personal experiences reshape collective memory? A Different Perspective The anecdote may oversimplify deep trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Concentration Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps/) ## Related quotes > [“I thought that all the assholes drove German cars, but it turns out that pricks in Mustangs can still leave scars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/i-thought-that-all-the-assholes-drove-german-cars-but-it-turns-out/) [Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/) > [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. 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/) > [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [You can do business with America or the authoritarian dictators of Beijing, who oppress their own people, put millions of Muslims in concentration camps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/you-can-do-business-with-america-or-the-authoritarian-dictators-of/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) ## More by Craig Johnson > [“He swelled into the piece, his hand flat-hatting across the keyboard and thundering the lower notes like a trip-hammer. Finishing what I assumed was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/he-swelled-into-the-piece-his-hand-flat-hatting-across-the-keyboard/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“Good friends are the ones who can remain close without losing their ability to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/good-friends-are-the-ones-who-can-remain-close-without-losing-their/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“When you go to a dogfight, it’s always good to bring the meanest bitch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/when-you-go-to-a-dogfight-it-s-always-good-to-bring-the-meanest-bitch/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [The place was packed as we flooded in, all the patrons freezing at the sight of an armed sheriff, two deputies, an Indian, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/the-place-was-packed-as-we-flooded-in-all-the-patrons-freezing-at-the/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“I thought about Maggie and how passion was a difficult thing to sustain, but that friendship had a pace that could go on forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-thought-about-maggie-and-how-passion-was-a-difficult-thing-to/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“I don't trust people who don't like animals. Hell, animals are the finest people I know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-don-t-trust-people-who-don-t-like-animals-hell-animals-are-the/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“a beautiful, intelligent woman with a body like Salome and a mouth like a saltwater crocodile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/a-beautiful-intelligent-woman-with-a-body-like-salome-and-a-mouth/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“I think insanity runs in the family. Hell, it practically gallops.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-think-insanity-runs-in-the-family-hell-it-practically-gallops/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“I couldn’t help but remember the one at my parents’ place after they had passed. I’d gone through their things and hadn’t kept much,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-couldn-t-help-but-remember-the-one-at-my-parents-place-after-they/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“Sons, they have their own plans, but a daughter or granddaughter, they will love you forever and take care of you in your old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/sons-they-have-their-own-plans-but-a-daughter-or-granddaughter-they/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“You will stand and see the good, but you will also stand and see the bad—the dead shall rise and the blind will see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/you-will-stand-and-see-the-good-but-you-will-also-stand-and-see-the/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“Little known fact: offensive tackles score higher on the Wonderlic than any other position.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/little-known-fact-offensive-tackles-score-higher-on-the-wonderlic/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and her book in my hands. Like a lot of things in my life, I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-leaned-forward-with-my-elbows-on-my-knees-and-her-book-in-my-hands/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“Small chains wound their way through the trigger guards with little bronze locks at the end of each row. It was like a chain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/small-chains-wound-their-way-through-the-trigger-guards-with-little/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“I had warned her that lawyers shouldn't marry other lawyers, that it only led to imbecile paralegals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-had-warned-her-that-lawyers-shouldn-t-marry-other-lawyers-that-it/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) [Explore all 122 Craig Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) ## 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... We must deal with, with forgiveness and patience-as full human beings, as we are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/each-of-us-has-his-own-inner-concentration-camp-we-must-deal-with/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [You can do business with America or the authoritarian dictators of Beijing, who oppress their own people, put millions of Muslims in concentration camps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/you-can-do-business-with-america-or-the-authoritarian-dictators-of/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [ \[Albert\]Camus had denounced the gulag and Stalin's trials. 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": "“I watched as the silver Mercedes without snow tires made its way up Fetterman taking a right on Aspen and thought about a man who had escaped the concentration camps and now drove a German car. The Hun be damned.     I”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Craig Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without-snow-tires-made-its-way-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Concentration camp" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without-snow-tires-made-its-way-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/craig-johnson-3716_concentration-camp_i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without_470522.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/craig-johnson-3716_concentration-camp_i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without_470522.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/craig-johnson-3716_concentration-camp_i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without_470522.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I watched as the silver Mercedes without snow tires made its way up Fetterman taking a right on Aspen and…” — Craig Johnson", "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": "Craig Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I watched as the silver Mercedes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without-snow-tires-made-its-way-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/i-watched-as-the-silver-mercedes-without-snow-tires-made-its-way-up/#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 } } ] } ```