--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What should we do? We have no wish to…" description: "\"What should we do? We have no wish to interrupt the destroyer's work of saving lives... But war is war and the people being picked up out of the water ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/martin-niemoller-20587_believe_what-should-we-do-we-have-no-wish-to-int_366657.jpg" --- # What should we do? We have no wish to interrupt the… ![“What should we do? We have no wish to interrupt the destroyer's work of saving lives... But war is war and the people being picked up out of the water are soldiers bound for the front; soldiers who are to shoot at our German brothers... The question whether we are to perish in despair or defiance…” quote by Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/martin-niemoller-20587_believe_what-should-we-do-we-have-no-wish-to-int_366657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/martin-niemoller-20587_believe_what-should-we-do-we-have-no-wish-to-int_366657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/martin-niemoller-20587_believe_what-should-we-do-we-have-no-wish-to-int_366657.jpg) > “What should we do? We have no wish to interrupt the destroyer's work of saving lives... But war is war and the people being picked up out of the water are soldiers bound for the front; soldiers who are to shoot at our German brothers... The question whether we are to perish in despair or defiance, or survive all trails with a live conscience, depends wholly and solely on whether we believe in the forgiveness of sins. This 25th January was the turning point in my life, because it opened my eyes to the utter impossibility of a moral universe.” [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A moral dilemma about saving lives versus aiding enemies, emphasizing forgiveness and conscience. **In simple terms:** Choosing between saving lives and moral conscience. Key Takeaway Weigh conscience against survival. Themes morality war forgiveness conscience survival Mood reflective serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - wartime rescue - ethical decision‑making - personal conscience Key Concepts ethical conflict humanitarian duty moral relativism Questions to Reflect On - Can forgiveness guide wartime choices? - What conscience means in survival? A Different Perspective Forgiveness may be impossible in war. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Defiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defiance/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Destroyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyers/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiveness of sins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness-of-sins/) [Impossibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossibility/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Save a life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-a-life/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Saving Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving-lives/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [Trails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trails/) [Turning point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turning-point/) [Turning points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turning-points/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“As Donald Trump was campaigning for the Republican nomination for president in 2016 he was asked, “Have you ever asked God for forgiveness?” He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hamilton/as-donald-trump-was-campaigning-for-the-republican-nomination-for/) [Adam Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hamilton/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“ACT13.38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/act13-38-be-it-known-unto-you-therefore-men-and-brethren-that-through/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Forgiveness of sins is great, but I'd rather have the ability to quit doing the things I keep needing forgiveness for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-r-silva/forgiveness-of-sins-is-great-but-i-d-rather-have-the-ability-to-quit/) [D.R. Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-r-silva/) > [“(2) When David starts to enumerate "all his benefits" (103:2), he begins with the forgiveness of sins (103:3). 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tikhon-of-zadonsk/do-we-refuse-to-forgive-god-too-will-refuse-to-forgive-us-as-we-treat/) [Tikhon of Zadonsk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tikhon-of-zadonsk/) > [To be convinced in our hearts that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/to-be-convinced-in-our-hearts-that-we-have-forgiveness-of-sins-and/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Jesus was able to die as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29), because He was without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hon/jesus-was-able-to-die-as-the-lamb-of-god-to-take-away-the-sins-of-the/) [Henry Hon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hon/) > [Will not the very moment of great disillusionment with my brother or sister be incomparably wholesome for me becuase it so thoroughly teaches me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/will-not-the-very-moment-of-great-disillusionment-with-my-brother-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [But privately when things got very bad I often looked into books to see whether I could find some helpful words, and one day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-privately-when-things-got-very-bad-i-often-looked-into-books-to/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More by Martin Niemoller > [If you can laugh at yourself, you are going to be fine. 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So I never could become a politician - not even a church politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/for-politicians-truth-and-falsehood-are-unimportant-so-i-never-could/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [First they came for the Jews, but I did nothing because I'm not a Jew. Then they came for the socialists, but I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/first-they-came-for-the-jews-but-i-did-nothing-because-i-m-not-a-jew/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [I have never concealed the fact and said it before the court in 1938 that I came from an anti-Semitic past and tradition... I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/i-have-never-concealed-the-fact-and-said-it-before-the-court-in-1938/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [It took me a long time to understand that God is not the enemy of my enemies. 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In those days I became convinced - and remain convinced now - that, after Hitler,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/we-had-been-frightened-of-atomic-weapons-since-1945-in-those-days-i/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [Ask the first man you meet what he means by defending freedom, and he'll tell you privately he means defending the standard of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/ask-the-first-man-you-meet-what-he-means-by-defending-freedom-and-he/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/then-they-came-for-me-and-there-was-no-one-left-to-speak-out-for-me/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [More than fifty-five years ago my father told me, "The Bible does not belong on the shelf but in your hand, under your eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/more-than-fifty-five-years-ago-my-father-told-me-the-bible-does-not/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [That which does not kill you will ultimately make you stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/that-which-does-not-kill-you-will-ultimately-make-you-stronger/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [For it is, and must remain, the case that we must obey God rather than man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/for-it-is-and-must-remain-the-case-that-we-must-obey-god-rather-than/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) [Explore all 29 Martin Niemoller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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