Every Man Dies Alone

by Hans Fallada

“But the main thing is that we remain different from them, that we never allow ourselves to be made into them, or start thinking as they do.

the Quangels were like most people: they believed what they hoped.

every-one ought to be interested in politics. If we all had been, then maybe the Nazis wouldn’t have got their hands on power;

you had to pay for everything in life, and usually more than it was worth.

Once you’ve seen that a cause is right, you’re obliged to fight for it. Whether you ever live to see success, or the person who steps into your shoes does, it doesn’t matter.

“Well,” she said, “I think even then we’ll find something that’s worth fighting for. Maybe quite openly, and without so much danger.” “Danger,” he said. “There’s always danger, Anna; otherwise, it’s not fighting.

Back then, life had been simple: he had believed not only in God but also in man. He had believed in Love thine enemy and Blessed are the peacemakers. Sayings like that had some validity in that world. Things had changed since, and not for the better. No one could believe in God anymore; it was impossible to credit that a benevolent God would tolerate such widespread wickedness on earth, and as far as men were concerned, those swine…

Because they believe in heaven, they don’t want to fix anything on earth.

It doesn’t matter if one man fights or ten thousand; if the one man sees he has no option but to fight, then he will fight, whether he has others on his side or not.

“But in life you need to be tough sometimes, Doctor!” “No, you don’t. And a saying like that is justification for every form of brutality,

“We live not for ourselves, but for others. What we make of ourselves we make not for ourselves, but for others…”

As it was, we all acted alone, we were caught alone, and every one of us will have to die alone.