---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How do you talk about the Holocaust? How…"
description: "\"How do you talk about the Holocaust? How do you talk about slavery? Probably the best thing to do is just be quiet and hide from it, forget about it. E..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/john-edgar-wideman-7347_best_how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how_3004023.jpg"
---

#  How do you talk about the Holocaust? How do you talk about…

![“How do you talk about the Holocaust? How do you talk about slavery? Probably the best thing to do is just be quiet and hide from it, forget about it. Except, then it jumps up and bites you. Because it's there.” quote by John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/john-edgar-wideman-7347_best_how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how_3004023.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/john-edgar-wideman-7347_best_how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how_3004023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/john-edgar-wideman-7347_best_how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how_3004023.jpg)

> “How do you talk about the Holocaust? How do you talk about slavery? Probably the best thing to do is just be quiet and hide from it, forget about it. Except, then it jumps up and bites you. Because it's there.”

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Ignoring historic atrocities leads to their resurfacing and personal harm.

**In simple terms:** Silence lets trauma return.

Key Takeaway

Confront history, speak truth.

Themes

memory history trauma responsibility

Mood

somber reflective

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- education
- public discourse
- personal healing
- policy making

Key Concepts

collective memory ethical responsibility psychological impact

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we discuss painful history responsibly?
- What role does education play in preventing recurrence?

A Different Perspective

Silence can also protect vulnerable individuals from re-traumatization.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Holocaust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holocaust/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/)

## Related quotes

> [If the Holocaust that you talk about was real, why don't you allow the subject to be studied? One can freely research any issue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/if-the-holocaust-that-you-talk-about-was-real-why-don-t-you-allow-the/)

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/)

> [The unweary, unostentatious, and inglorious crusade of England against slavery may probably be regarded as among the three or four perfectly virtuous pages comprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-edward-hartpole-lecky/the-unweary-unostentatious-and-inglorious-crusade-of-england-against/)

[William Edward Hartpole Lecky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-edward-hartpole-lecky/)

> [You can talk about Holocaust denial, but it's really marginal for the most part. What is compelling about the Armenian genocide, is how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atom-egoyan/you-can-talk-about-holocaust-denial-but-it-s-really-marginal-for-the/)

[Atom Egoyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atom-egoyan/)

> [“I waited for a reaction, only to be gently reminded that perhaps the dorm-wide pajama party wasn’t the best time to talk about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-waited-for-a-reaction-only-to-be-gently-reminded-that-perhaps-the/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Talk about slavery! It is not the peculiar institution of the South. It exists wherever men are bought and sold, wherever a man allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/talk-about-slavery-it-is-not-the-peculiar-institution-of-the-south-it-2/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I can't think of the last Asian that I ran into that talked about internment camps. But black people always want to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-owens/i-can-t-think-of-the-last-asian-that-i-ran-into-that-talked-about/)

[Candace Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-owens/)

> [Talk about slavery! It is not the peculiar institution of the South. It exists wherever men are bought and sold, wherever a man allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/talk-about-slavery-it-is-not-the-peculiar-institution-of-the-south-it/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [We need to make sure that our children know different kinds of people, eat different kinds of food, and learn our true history. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-picciolini/we-need-to-make-sure-that-our-children-know-different-kinds-of-people/)

[Christian Picciolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-picciolini/)

> [Miami Beach - that's where I grew up, in a middle-class Jewish family led by my maternal grandfather. Me, my great-grandmother - a Holocaust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/miami-beach-that-s-where-i-grew-up-in-a-middle-class-jewish-family/)

[Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/)

> [Arab youth are taught to wonder, 'Since the Holocaust was a European affair, why are the Palestinians being forced to pay for the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-sr/arab-youth-are-taught-to-wonder-since-the-holocaust-was-a-european/)

[Edgar Bronfman, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-sr/)

> [“I do not know where Viktor and Rudolf were taken. I cannot find the records. I never Elisabeth or Iggie. It is possible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/i-do-not-know-where-viktor-and-rudolf-were-taken-i-cannot-find-the/)

[Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/)

> [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/)

Harold Covington

> [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/)

[Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/)

## More by John Edgar Wideman

> [My mother loved my father. From my view, she let him get away with too much. It broke my heart to see him in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-mother-loved-my-father-from-my-view-she-let-him-get-away-with-too/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Too much is made for us; too much is given to us - even those of us who are underprivileged. The poverty is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/too-much-is-made-for-us-too-much-is-given-to-us-even-those-of-us-who/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [A great artist transforms our world, removes scales from our eyes, plugs from our ears, gloves from our fingertips, teaches us to perceive reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/a-great-artist-transforms-our-world-removes-scales-from-our-eyes/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [That's what writing is: it's imagining that you can make a world. That's what basketball is, too: it's imagining the game as a world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-what-writing-is-it-s-imagining-that-you-can-make-a-world-that/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [I'm very hard-nosed and cold-blooded and I can walk past a drowning man. If I have someplace else to go, well, tough s\*\*t. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-m-very-hard-nosed-and-cold-blooded-and-i-can-walk-past-a-drowning/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [I get off on anticipating and waiting much more than I get off on the actual event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-get-off-on-anticipating-and-waiting-much-more-than-i-get-off-on-the/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [You have to be a minor superhero just to get to be a dignified man, and that's kind of exacerbated for men of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/you-have-to-be-a-minor-superhero-just-to-get-to-be-a-dignified-man/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Stories are told over time, and so they naturally accrue meanings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/stories-are-told-over-time-and-so-they-naturally-accrue-meanings/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [That's been my routine for years and years... Up early before everybody else, before I get connected, before I get bugged, before I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-been-my-routine-for-years-and-years-up-early-before-everybody/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [My father was intelligent and closed-mouthed. He knew a lot more than what he was ever going to tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-father-was-intelligent-and-closed-mouthed-he-knew-a-lot-more-than/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [What I wanted to do in talking about basketball in 'Hoop Roots' was retrieve the game as something to participate in, not to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/what-i-wanted-to-do-in-talking-about-basketball-in-hoop-roots-was/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Books are an attempt to control something that's uncontrollable. That's one of the beauties of African American life. There was this thing called slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/books-are-an-attempt-to-control-something-that-s-uncontrollable-that/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [That's one of the beauties, I think, of African American life. There was this thing called slavery and adjustments were made. It literally destroyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-one-of-the-beauties-i-think-of-african-american-life-there-was/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [Things seem to fall apart inevitably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/things-seem-to-fall-apart-inevitably/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [My aunt Geraldine was the unofficial historian and storyteller. She had all the information about family members and the gossip that came out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-aunt-geraldine-was-the-unofficial-historian-and-storyteller-she/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

[Explore all 92 John Edgar Wideman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

## More Best quotes

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/)

[Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [It's no wonder Pep is one of the best coaches in the world. When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/)

[Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/)

> [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/)

[Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/)

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/)

[Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/)

> [Life is where you love people and use things not use people and love things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/life-is-where-you-love-people-and-use-things-not-use-people-and-love/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/)

[Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/)

> [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/)

Gene Scott

> [I'm looking to fight the best guys in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-m-looking-to-fight-the-best-guys-in-the-world/)

[Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/)

> [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/)

[Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/)

> [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [Any position I was going to be in, I was going to make the best of it. I always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/any-position-i-was-going-to-be-in-i-was-going-to-make-the-best-of-it/)

[Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/)

Browse all 21,674 Best quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How do you talk about the Holocaust? How do you talk about slavery? Probably the best thing to do is just be quiet and hide from it, forget about it. Except, then it jumps up and bites you. Because it's there.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Edgar Wideman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how-do-you-talk-about-slavery/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Best"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how-do-you-talk-about-slavery/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/john-edgar-wideman-7347_best_how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how_3004023.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/john-edgar-wideman-7347_best_how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how_3004023.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/john-edgar-wideman-7347_best_how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how_3004023.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How do you talk about the Holocaust? How do you talk about slavery? Probably the best thing to do is just be…” — John Edgar Wideman",
                "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": "John Edgar Wideman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How do you talk about the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how-do-you-talk-about-slavery/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/how-do-you-talk-about-the-holocaust-how-do-you-talk-about-slavery/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
