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Hate Quote by Harry Mulisch

“Hate is the darkness, that's no good. And yet we've got to hate Fascists, and that's considered perfectly all right. How is that possible? It's because we hate them in the name of the light, I guess, whereas they hate only in the name of darkness. We hate hate itself, and for this reason our hate…” quote by Harry Mulisch
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““Hate is the darkness, that's no good. And yet we've got to hate Fascists, and that's considered perfectly all right. How is that possible? It's because we hate them in the name of the light, I guess, whereas they hate only in the name of darkness. We hate hate itself, and for this reason our hate is better than theirs. But that's why it's more difficult for us. For them everything is very simple, but for us it's more complicated. We've got to become a little bit like them in order to fight them so we become a little bit unlike ourselves. But they don't have that problem; they can do away with us without any qualms. We first have to do away with something inside ourselves before we can do away with them. Not them; they can simply remain themselves, that's why they're so strong. But they'll lose in the end, because they have no light in them. The only thing is, we mustn't become too much like them, mustn't destroy ourselves altogether, otherwise they'll have won in the end...””

Harry Mulisch

About This Quote

Source Film: The Fourth Man, 1983

Moral conflict arises when opposing evil forces us to adopt similar tactics, risking loss of our own values.

In simple terms: Fighting hate can corrupt us if we mimic our enemies.

Key Takeaway

Guard your principles while confronting injustice.

Themes

ethics conflict identity resistance integrity

Mood

tense reflective cautious

Type

philosophical political motivational

When to use this quote

  • activism
  • political debate
  • personal reflection
  • social movements

Key Concepts

moral philosophy psychology political theory

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you maintain integrity while opposing evil?
  • When does resistance become assimilation?
A Different Perspective

Adopting enemy tactics may erode moral high ground.

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