Books Quote by Ray Bradbury
““It followed then that when Hitler burned a book I felt it as keenly, please forgive me, as his killing a human, for in the long sum of history they are one and the same flesh.””
About This Quote
Source Short Story: “The Illustrated Man” by Ray Bradbury, 1951
Destruction of knowledge and loss of life are equally tragic in humanity’s moral ledger.
In simple terms: Both book burning and killing are equally harmful.
Key Takeaway
Protect both knowledge and life.
Themes
ethics
history
memory
Mood
somber
urgent
Type
moral
inspirational
When to use this quote
- education
- humanitarian work
- archival preservation
Key Concepts
human rights
censorship
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we value cultural memory versus human life?
- What actions can prevent both?
A Different Perspective
Some may argue the impacts differ in scale.
![“For instance, [Adolf Hitler] would never have spent the night at the Widenmayerstraße apartment. He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he visited maybe 4 times afterwards and he never spent the entire night.” quote by Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3c6/gretl-braun-9500_apartment_for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-ha_54634.jpg)
![“My father would never have come to visit, he detested Eva's [Braun] choice in a man and the fact [Adolf] Hitler had set her up in an apartment. To him it was deeply humiliating that she was living with a man at his own whim at an apartment he was paying for.” quote by Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2a7/gretl-braun-9500_apartment_my-father-would-never-have-come-to-visit_40016.jpg)
![“[Wilhelm] Bruckner was one of [Adolf] Hitler's adjutants, very close to him and he'd been in the party probably since day one. Personally neither of us could stand him.” quote by Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/402/gretl-braun-9500_hitler_wilhelm-bruckner-was-one-of-adolf-hitler_30529.jpg)
![“Eva [Braun] loved [Adolf] Hitler and he was the only man in her life. She flirted and danced with other men but never would she have done more than that.” quote by Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/242/gretl-braun-9500_done_eva-braun-loved-adolf-hitler-and-he-was_22780.jpg)
