Atrocities Quotes

• If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America.

  Nelson Mandela

  Country, Atrocities Committed, America

  Nelson Mandela (2012). “Notes to the Future: Words of Wisdom”, p.152, Simon and Schuster

  50 Copy quote

  Show source

• The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.

  George Orwell

  Peace, Political Language, Atrocities Committed

  George Orwell, Ian Angus, Sheila Davison (1998). “The Complete Works of George Orwell: I belong to the Left: 1945”

  75 Copy quote

  Show source

• Human beings can be redeemed. Empires cannot. Our refusal to face the truth about empire, our refusal to defy the multitudinous crimes and atrocities of empire, has brought about the nightmare Malcolm predicted. And as the Digital Age and our post-literate society implant a terrifying historical amnesia, these crimes are erased as swiftly as they are committed.

  Chris Hedges

  Historical, Age, Empires

  102 Copy quote

• Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for the universal brotherhood of man with his mouth.

  Mark Twain

  Peace, War, Passion

  33 Copy quote

• Once we know of atrocities we cannot remain silent, and knowledge inevitably leads to an urge to protect the innocent.

  Azar Nafisi

  Silent, Innocent, Protect

  16 Copy quote

• Every generation witnesses atrocities. People in power try to fulfill prophecy.

  Nas

  People, Trying, Generations

  "Biography/Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

  18 Copy quote

  Show source

• There are always people willing to commit unspeakable human atrocity in exchange for a little power and privilege.

  Chris Hedges

  People, Littles, Privilege

  Chris Hedges (2014). “War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning”, p.88, PublicAffairs

  13 Copy quote

  Show source

• I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between the disaster and the atrocity.

  Edgar Allan Poe

  Weakness, Causes, Disaster

  Edgar Allan Poe (2004). “The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe”, p.63, Wordsworth Editions

  30 Copy quote

  Show source

• Wherever morality is based on theology, wherever the right is made dependent on divine authority, the most immoral, unjust, infamous things can be justified and established.

  Ludwig Feuerbach

  Atheist, Religion, Unjust

  Ludwig Feuerbach (2008). “The Essence of Christianity”, p.274, Cosimo, Inc.

  60 Copy quote

  Show source

• He who can lead you to believe an absurdity can lead you to commit an atrocity.

  Voltaire

  Believe, Absurdity, Commit

  6 Copy quote

• Ideology always paves the way toward atrocity.

  Terence McKenna

  Inspirational, Life, Mind Blowing

  12 Copy quote

• Atrocity never balances or rectifies the past. Atrocity merely arms the future for more atrocity.

  Frank Herbert

  Past, Balance, Arms

  Frank Herbert (2008). “Children of Dune”, p.110, Penguin

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• We continue to see undeniable evidence that abuse and torture has been widespread and systematic, yet high-level government officials have not been held accountable for creating the policies that led to these atrocities.

  Anthony Romero

  Government, Creating, Abuse

  5 Copy quote

• We receive reports now on a daily basis from our own people on the ground in Darfur on widespread atrocities and grave violations of human rights against the civilian population.

  Jan Egeland

  Rights, People, Population

  59 Copy quote

• We know that silence equals consent when atrocities are committed against innocent men, women and children. We know that indifference equals complicity when bigotry, hatred and intolerance are allowed to take root. And we know that education and hope are the most effective ways to combat ignorance and despair.

  Gabrielle Giffords

  Children, Ignorance, Men

  "Giffords Tragedy: What’s the Message to Young Women Considering Public Service?" by Gloria Feldt, www.huffingtonpost.com. January 11, 2011.

  28 Copy quote

  Show source

• When one watches some tired hack on the platform mechanically repeating the familiar phrases - bestial atrocities, iron heel, blood-stained tyranny, free peoples of the world, stand shoulder to shoulder - one often has a curious feeling that one is not watching a live human being but some kind of dummy, the appropriate noises are coming out of his larynx, but his brain is not involved

  George Orwell

  Tired, Blood, Iron

  5 Copy quote

• Words that are saturated with lies or atrocity, do not easily resume life.

  George Steiner

  Life, Lying, Resumes

  George Steiner (2010). “Language and Silence”, p.182, Faber & Faber

  13 Copy quote

  Show source

• It's true that humanity has seen a succession of crises, wars and atrocities, but this negative side is offset by advances in technology and cultural exchanges.

  Abbe Pierre

  War, Technology, Humanity

  14 Copy quote

• As a Jew I cannot sit idle while genocidal atrocities continue to unfold in Darfur, Sudan.

  Jan Schakowsky

  Genocide, Jew, Idle

  78 Copy quote

• In the late 1990s, some of the worst terrorist atrocities in the world were what the Turkish government itself called state terror, namely massive atrocities, 80 percent of the arms coming from the United States, millions of refugees, tens of thousands of people killed, hideous repression, that's international terror, and we can go on and on.

  Noam Chomsky

  Government, People, United States

  "CNN Debate on "Terrorism" Chomsky v. Bennett". Debate with Paula Zahn, www.freerepublic.com. May 30, 2002.

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• The United Nations has become a largely irrelevant, if not positively destructive institution, and the just-released U.N. report on the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan, proves the point.

  Linda Chavez

  Literature, Institutions, United Nations

  60 Copy quote

• Religious tolerance is something we should all practice; however, there have been more persecution and atrocities committed in the name of religion and religious freedom than anything else.

  Walter Koenig

  Religious, Atrocities Committed, Practice

  52 Copy quote

• Man is the only animal that deals in that atorcity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind.

  Mark Twain

  War, Animal, Men

  Mark Twain (1973). “What Is Man? and Other Philosophical Writings”, p.84, Univ of California Press

  64 Copy quote

  Show source

• If I have committed any culinary atrocities, please forgive me.

  Ted Allen

  Atrocities Committed, Forgive Me, Forgiving

  "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

  8 Copy quote

  Show source

• As human beings we have the most extraordinary capacity for evil. We can perpetrate some of the most horrendous atrocities.

  Desmond Tutu

  Evil, Capacity, Humans

  10 Copy quote