Character Quote by Ernst Jünger
““My unlucky star had destined me to be born when there was much talk about morality and, at the same time, more murders than in any other period. There is, undoubtedly, some connection between these phenomena. I sometime ask myself whether the connection was a priori, since these babblers are cannibals from the start - or a connection a posteriori, since they inflate themselves with their moralizing to a height which becomes dangerous for others. However that may be, I was always happy to meet a person who owed his touch of common sense and good manners to his parents and who didn't need big principles. I do not claim more for myself, and I am a man who for an entire lifetime has been moralized at to the right and the left - by teachers and superiors, by policemen and journalists, by Jews and Gentiles, by inhabitants of the Alps, of islands, and the plains, by cut-throats and aristocrats - all of whom looked as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouths.””
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Forest Passage” by Ernst Jünger, 1930
The author observes that moral rhetoric often masks violent tendencies, and that genuine common sense is rare amidst pervasive moralizing.
In simple terms: Moral talk can hide cruelty; true sense is scarce.
Seek sincerity over grand moral posturing.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- Political discourse
- media commentary
- personal interactions
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you trust those who preach morality?
- How does moral rhetoric affect real behavior?
Moralizing can become a tool for oppression rather than guidance.