--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only a few people in Burgdorf had read…" description: "\"“Only a few people in Burgdorf had read Mein Kampf, and many thought that all this talk about Rssenreinheit-purity of the race-was ludicrous and imposs..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/ursula-hegi-24427_israel_only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-m_1934969.png" --- # Only a few people in Burgdorf had read Mein Kampf, and… ![“Only a few people in Burgdorf had read Mein Kampf, and many thought that all this talk about Rssenreinheit-purity of the race-was ludicrous and impossible to enforce. Yet the long training in obedience to elders, government, and church made it difficult-even for those who considered the views of…” quote by Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/ursula-hegi-24427_israel_only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-m_1934969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/ursula-hegi-24427_israel_only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-m_1934969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/ursula-hegi-24427_israel_only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-m_1934969.png) > ““Only a few people in Burgdorf had read Mein Kampf, and many thought that all this talk about Rssenreinheit-purity of the race-was ludicrous and impossible to enforce. Yet the long training in obedience to elders, government, and church made it difficult-even for those who considered the views of the Nazis dishonorable-to give voice to their misgivings. And so they kept hushed, yielding to each new indignity while they waited for the Nazis and their ideas to go away, but with each compliance they relinquished more of themselves, weakening the texture of the community while the power of the Nazis swelled.”” [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obedience and fear silenced dissent, allowing oppressive ideas to grow while individuals lost their voice. **In simple terms:** Fear and conformity suppress resistance, strengthening tyranny. Key Takeaway Resist conformity, speak truth. Themes conformity obedience oppression Mood somber determined Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - community meetings - educational settings - authoritarian regimes Key Concepts social psychology history Questions to Reflect On - What would you do to break a culture of silence? - How can societies protect dissenting voices? A Different Perspective Silence can enable evil to spread unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ## Related quotes > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin > [In late marriage alone lies the compulsion to retain an institution which, twist and turn as you like, is and remains a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/in-late-marriage-alone-lies-the-compulsion-to-retain-an-institution/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [A man who has no sense of history is like a man who has no ears or no eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/a-man-who-has-no-sense-of-history-is-like-a-man-who-has-no-ears-or-no/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“It never, however, drove him to the extremity of trying to find a regular job. As he makes clear in Mein Kampf, he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/it-never-however-drove-him-to-the-extremity-of-trying-to-find-a/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [If we consider how greatly he has sinned against the masses in the course of the centuries, how he has squeezed and sucked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/if-we-consider-how-greatly-he-has-sinned-against-the-masses-in-the/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“To co nám chybělo, nebyla odvaha, ale představivost. I kdybychom nakrásně přečetli celý Hitlerův Mein Kampf, nebrali bychom ho vážně. Nás se to netýkalo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-friedlander/to-co-n-m-chyb-lo-nebyla-odvaha-ale-p-edstavivost-i-kdybychom-nakr-sn/) Margot Friedlander > [The spark of a genius exists in the brain of the truly creative man from the hour of his birth. True genius is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-spark-of-a-genius-exists-in-the-brain-of-the-truly-creative-man/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [ The more modest its intellectual ballast, the more exclusively it takes into consideration the emotions of the masses, the more effective \[propaganda\] will be. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-more-modest-its-intellectual-ballast-the-more-exclusively-it/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The art of propaganda lies in understanding the emotional ideas of the great masses and finding, through a psychologically correct form, the way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-art-of-propaganda-lies-in-understanding-the-emotional-ideas-of/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [We were convinced that the people need and require this faith. We have therefore undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/we-were-convinced-that-the-people-need-and-require-this-faith-we-have/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Never forget that the most sacred right on this earth is mans right to have the earth to till with his own hands, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/never-forget-that-the-most-sacred-right-on-this-earth-is-mans-right/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“Book Bans Are Dumb (Sonnet 1587) Book bans are dumb, It makes the mind numb. If banning books were justice, Middle ages would've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/book-bans-are-dumb-sonnet-1587-book-bans-are-dumb-it-makes-the-mind/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The Bible is to gays what Mein Kampf is to Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tatchell/the-bible-is-to-gays-what-mein-kampf-is-to-jews/) [Peter Tatchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tatchell/) > [The grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-grossly-impudent-lie-always-leaves-traces-behind-it-even-after-it/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) ## More by Ursula Hegi > [“She also told me it wore down her spirit to live in the desert landscape that was parched by midsummer, to plant a garden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/she-also-told-me-it-wore-down-her-spirit-to-live-in-the-desert/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [Some acts of faith, I believe, have the power to grant us something infinitely wiser than we imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/some-acts-of-faith-i-believe-have-the-power-to-grant-us-something/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [I don't write for an audience. I write for myself. And if I imagine an audience at all, it's the characters, but I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/i-don-t-write-for-an-audience-i-write-for-myself-and-if-i-imagine-an/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [What the river was showing her now was that she could flow beyond the brokenness, redeem herself, and fuse once more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/what-the-river-was-showing-her-now-was-that-she-could-flow-beyond-the/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [“I think . . . you should have children, John." At least he's no longer talking about bugs. "I'm too young, Dad." "It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/i-think-you-should-have-children-john-at-least-he-s-no-longer-talking/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [In language that's lyrical and haunting, Cheryl Strayed writes about bliss and loss, about the kind of grace that startles and transforms us in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/in-language-that-s-lyrical-and-haunting-cheryl-strayed-writes-about/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [About endings…unless we do them well, we have to keep repeating them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/about-endings-unless-we-do-them-well-we-have-to-keep-repeating-them/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [“These are things," Trudi's father told her long before she was old enough for confession, "that the church calls sins, but they are part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/these-are-things-trudi-s-father-told-her-long-before-she-was-old/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [“Deine Anpassungsfäheigkeit—Your ability to adapt,” her husband said, “is far more dangerous to you than any of them will ever be. You’ll keep adapting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/deine-anpassungsf-heigkeit-your-ability-to-adapt-her-husband-said-is/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [A perfectly happy marriage? There is no such thing. There are strong marriages that can survive problems, but happiness is such a brief condition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/a-perfectly-happy-marriage-there-is-no-such-thing-there-are-strong/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [I like to keep myself wrapped in layers of sleep and wait for the geraniums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/i-like-to-keep-myself-wrapped-in-layers-of-sleep-and-wait-for-the/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [“Marrying a woman who was reckless must have been the ultimate reckless act, requiring a lifetime of balancing to keep both of them safe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/marrying-a-woman-who-was-reckless-must-have-been-the-ultimate/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [“And what she hated more than anything that moment was for all the differences between people to matter no more - no more differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/and-what-she-hated-more-than-anything-that-moment-was-for-all-the/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [“Everyone does it." "But no one talks about it," Gloria said. "About the different levels of skill involved. You have to practice before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/everyone-does-it-but-no-one-talks-about-it-gloria-said-about-the/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) > [“He didn't know how to speak properly, how to walk properly, how to comb his hair, and she felt embarrassed for him as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/he-didn-t-know-how-to-speak-properly-how-to-walk-properly-how-to-comb/) [Ursula Hegi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) [Explore all 24 Ursula Hegi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/) ## More Israel quotes > [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [In the Green Zone in Iraq you have your radio, you have your food, you have your own electricity, your own toilets. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/in-the-green-zone-in-iraq-you-have-your-radio-you-have-your-food-you/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [“Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Much to the bafflement of the Allies, however, Pope Pius XII said nothing. He refused to condemn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrus-shahrad/hitler-invaded-poland-on-1-september-1939-much-to-the-bafflement-of/) [Cyrus Shahrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrus-shahrad/) > [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I am a peace supporting Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-am-a-peace-supporting-jew/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin [Browse all 16,724 Israel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Only a few people in Burgdorf had read Mein Kampf, and many thought that all this talk about Rssenreinheit-purity of the race-was ludicrous and impossible to enforce. Yet the long training in obedience to elders, government, and church made it difficult-even for those who considered the views of the Nazis dishonorable-to give voice to their misgivings. And so they kept hushed, yielding to each new indignity while they waited for the Nazis and their ideas to go away, but with each compliance they relinquished more of themselves, weakening the texture of the community while the power of the Nazis swelled.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ursula Hegi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-mein-kampf-and-many-thought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Israel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-mein-kampf-and-many-thought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/ursula-hegi-24427_israel_only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-m_1934969.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/ursula-hegi-24427_israel_only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-m_1934969.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bc/ursula-hegi-24427_israel_only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-m_1934969.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only a few people in Burgdorf had read Mein Kampf, and many thought that all this talk about…” — Ursula Hegi", "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": "Ursula Hegi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-hegi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Only a few people in Burgdorf...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-mein-kampf-and-many-thought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-hegi/only-a-few-people-in-burgdorf-had-read-mein-kampf-and-many-thought/#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 } } ] } ```