--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once we thought a few hundred corpses…" description: "\"Once we thought a few hundred corpses would be enough then we saw thousands were still too few and today we can't even count all the dead Everywhere yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/peter-weiss-18691_corpses_once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-wo_2237303.png" --- # Once we thought a few hundred corpses would be enough then… ![“Once we thought a few hundred corpses would be enough then we saw thousands were still too few and today we can't even count all the dead Everywhere you look.” quote by Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/peter-weiss-18691_corpses_once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-wo_2237303.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/peter-weiss-18691_corpses_once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-wo_2237303.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/peter-weiss-18691_corpses_once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-wo_2237303.png) > “Once we thought a few hundred corpses would be enough then we saw thousands were still too few and today we can't even count all the dead Everywhere you look.” [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The scale of death is overwhelming, and counting victims becomes impossible, highlighting the enormity of tragedy. **In simple terms:** The tragedy is too vast to count. Key Takeaway Acknowledge the incomprehensible loss. Themes war genocide memory Mood somber reflective Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - education - remembrance - human rights advocacy - policy making Key Concepts mass death counting impossibility historical trauma Questions to Reflect On - How do we honor uncounted victims? - What can prevent future atrocities? A Different Perspective Quantifying loss may not capture emotional impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Merle Weaver stroked the little girl's hair and thought of the two corpses in the rear of the truck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcdowell/merle-weaver-stroked-the-little-girl-s-hair-and-thought-of-the-two/) [Michael McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcdowell/) > [You can count the dead, but you can't count the cost. We've got no math for Heaven...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/you-can-count-the-dead-but-you-can-t-count-the-cost-we-ve-got-no-math/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [But you can count the dead bodies from alcohol, tobacco, and legal pharmaceuticals by the millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/but-you-can-count-the-dead-bodies-from-alcohol-tobacco-and-legal/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [You count up your dead, every one. Always. Recall them, each and all - every face, every heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/you-count-up-your-dead-every-one-always-recall-them-each-and-all/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [You don't count the dead, when god's on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/you-don-t-count-the-dead-when-god-s-on-your-side/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“You’re not out for the count until you’re dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-hartmann/you-re-not-out-for-the-count-until-you-re-dead/) [Silvia Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-hartmann/) > [Reasons never matter, once Death comes cold and bold and takes the living by the hand. You count up your dead, every one..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/reasons-never-matter-once-death-comes-cold-and-bold-and-takes-the/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/religion-exalts-mystery-as-an-unknowable-secret-that-must-be-sealed/) [Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/) > [ René of Anjou \[(1409-80)\] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it \[her tomb\] openedon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-of-his-mistress-s-corpse-as-he/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [“The Path Of Least Resistance Is Littered With The Corpses Of The Bored To Death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-path-of-least-resistance-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-the/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [If you look at the history of technology gadget makers, hardware makers, it's littered with the corpses of Palm and RIM and companies like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-technology-gadget-makers-hardware/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-enemy-his-sense-of-duty-was-no-less-than-yours-i-deem-you-wonder/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [My specialties are corpses, unconscious people and people snoring in spectacular epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gig-young/my-specialties-are-corpses-unconscious-people-and-people-snoring-in/) Gig Young ## More by Peter Weiss > [The only truths we can point to are the ever-changing truths of our own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/the-only-truths-we-can-point-to-are-the-ever-changing-truths-of-our/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [“And the priests looked down into the pit of injustice and they turned their faces away and said, 'Our kingdom is not as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/and-the-priests-looked-down-into-the-pit-of-injustice-and-they-turned/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [Don't be deceived when our Revolution has been finally stamped out and they tell you things are better now Even if there's no poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/don-t-be-deceived-when-our-revolution-has-been-finally-stamped-out/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [Every death even the cruelest death drowns in the total indifference of Nature Nature herself would watch unmoved if we destroyed the entire human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/every-death-even-the-cruelest-death-drowns-in-the-total-indifference/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [What has gone wrong with the men who are ruling I'd like to know who they think they are fooling They told us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/what-has-gone-wrong-with-the-men-who-are-ruling-i-d-like-to-know-who/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [Against Nature's silence I use action In the vast indifference I invent a meaning I don't watch unmoved I intervene and say that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/against-nature-s-silence-i-use-action-in-the-vast-indifference-i/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [We're all so clogged with dead ideas passed from generation to generation that even the best of us don't know the way out We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/we-re-all-so-clogged-with-dead-ideas-passed-from-generation-to/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [“We're all free and equal to die like dogs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/we-re-all-free-and-equal-to-die-like-dogs/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [We've got rights the right to starve We've got jobs waiting for work We're all brothers lousy and dirty We're all free and equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/we-ve-got-rights-the-right-to-starve-we-ve-got-jobs-waiting-for-work/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [Long ago I left heroics to the heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/long-ago-i-left-heroics-to-the-heroes/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [What's the point of a revolution without general copulation copulation copulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/what-s-the-point-of-a-revolution-without-general-copulation/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [Fight on land and sea All men want to be free If they don't never mind we'll abolish all mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/fight-on-land-and-sea-all-men-want-to-be-free-if-they-don-t-never/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [I could buy myself paper, a pen, a pencil and a brush and could create pictures whenever and wherever I wanted. ... That evening,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/i-could-buy-myself-paper-a-pen-a-pencil-and-a-brush-and-could-create/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [With the plundered people transferring their energies into relaxed and receptive thoughts, degradation and lust for power produced art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/with-the-plundered-people-transferring-their-energies-into-relaxed/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) > [The important thing is to pull yourself up by your own hair to turn yourself inside out and see the whole world with fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/the-important-thing-is-to-pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-hair-to-turn/) [Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) [Explore all 29 Peter Weiss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/) ## More Corpses quotes > [My specialties are corpses, unconscious people and people snoring in spectacular epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gig-young/my-specialties-are-corpses-unconscious-people-and-people-snoring-in/) Gig Young > [The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-enemy-his-sense-of-duty-was-no-less-than-yours-i-deem-you-wonder/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [If you look at the history of technology gadget makers, hardware makers, it's littered with the corpses of Palm and RIM and companies like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-technology-gadget-makers-hardware/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“The Path Of Least Resistance Is Littered With The Corpses Of The Bored To Death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-path-of-least-resistance-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-the/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [ René of Anjou \[(1409-80)\] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it \[her tomb\] openedon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-of-his-mistress-s-corpse-as-he/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/religion-exalts-mystery-as-an-unknowable-secret-that-must-be-sealed/) [Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The government increasingly resembles somebody who is trying to give the kiss of life to a corpse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/the-government-increasingly-resembles-somebody-who-is-trying-to-give/) [Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/) > [“You and I are victims of the same disease. We're fighting the same war, just different battles in different theaters, and it's way too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/you-and-i-are-victims-of-the-same-disease-we-re-fighting-the-same-war/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [Alas, poor Yorick! How surprised he would be to see how his counterpart of today is whisked off to a funeral parlor and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/alas-poor-yorick-how-surprised-he-would-be-to-see-how-his-counterpart/) [Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. If it still doesn't work, throw it away. It's a nice feeling, and you don't want to be cluttered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/reread-rewrite-reread-rewrite-if-it-still-doesn-t-work-throw-it-away/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [ Reading the script \[Insane Farting Corpse\], by page two or three, I felt that way. I thought, I'm in. It was so beautiful and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/reading-the-script-insane-farting-corpse-by-page-two-or-three-i-felt/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Photos are profound because they have such short lives. They are more like fingerprints, dead leaves, rain puddles, or the corpses of flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/photos-are-profound-because-they-have-such-short-lives-they-are-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) Browse all 363 Corpses quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once we thought a few hundred corpses would be enough then we saw thousands were still too few and today we can't even count all the dead Everywhere you look.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Weiss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-would-be-enough-then-we-saw/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Corpses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-would-be-enough-then-we-saw/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/peter-weiss-18691_corpses_once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-wo_2237303.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/peter-weiss-18691_corpses_once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-wo_2237303.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/peter-weiss-18691_corpses_once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-wo_2237303.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once we thought a few hundred corpses would be enough then we saw thousands were still too few and today we…” — Peter Weiss", "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": "Peter Weiss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once we thought a few hundred...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-would-be-enough-then-we-saw/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/once-we-thought-a-few-hundred-corpses-would-be-enough-then-we-saw/#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 } } ] } ```