Friedrich Kellner, German Chief Justice Inspector, diary entry of May 29, 1940.
“
The butchering may continue as it will, it shall remain the historical guilt of the Western powers that they did not promptly provide the sharpest preventative measures against the continued attack-politics Germany undertook. Possibilities existed for this, but no measures were seized upon.
— Friedrich Kellner on World War II
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The butchering may continue as it will, it shall remain the historical guilt of the Western powers that they did not promptly provide the sharpest preventative measures against the continued attack-politics Germany undertook. Possibilities existed for this, but no measures were seized upon." in the context of "Friedrich Kellner, German Chief Justice Inspector, diary entry of May 29, 1940." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "World War II" (Start of the War, 1940)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Friedrich Kellner
August Friedrich Kellner (1 February 1885 – 4 November 1970) (pronounce) was a justice inspector during the Nazi period in Germany. As a Social Democrat, he campaigned against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. During the Second World War, Kellner kept a secret diary to record Nazi crimes. He referred to his diary as “Mein Widerstand,” meaning My Opposition. His diary was published in its original language in 2011 under the title, Vernebelt, verdunkelt sind alle Hirne (Clouded and darkened are all the minds), by Wallstein Verlag in Göttingen, Germany. The English translation was published in 2018 by Cambridge University Press: My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner -- A German against the Third Reich.My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner -- A German against the Third Reich, publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge U.K..
About Friedrich Kellner
August Friedrich Kellner (1 February 1885 – 4 November 1970) (pronounce) was a justice inspector during the Nazi period in Germany. As a Social Democrat, he campaigned against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. During the Second World War, Kellner kept a secret diary to record Nazi crimes. He referred to his diary as “Mein Widerstand,” meaning My Opposition. His diary was published in its original language in 2011 under the title, Vernebelt, verdunkelt sind alle Hirne (Clouded and darkened are all the minds), by Wallstein Verlag in Göttingen, Germany. The English translation was published in 2018 by Cambridge University Press: My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner -- A German against the Third Reich.My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner -- A German against the Third Reich, publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge U.K..
View all quotes →