The Diary of Anne Frank Warfare Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Date.Paragraph)

Quote #4

I don’t believe that the war is simply the work of politicians and capitalists. Oh no, the common man is every bit as guilty; otherwise, people and nations would have rebelled long ago! There’s a destructive urge in people, the urge to rage, murder and kill. And until all of humanity, without exception, undergoes a metamorphosis, wars will continue to be waged, and everything that has been carefully built up, cultivated and grown will be cut down and destroyed, only to start all over again! (5/3/1944.8)

Anne argues that it is not just the war-mongering politicians who are guilty, but everyone who does not stand up for justice and peace. This passage is one of Anne’s shining moments, as she looks far beyond her own life and times to humanity as a whole.

Quote #5

A huge commotion in the Annex! Is this really the beginning of the long-awaited liberation? The liberation we’ve all talked about so much, which seems too good, too much of a fairy tale ever to come true? Will this year, 1944, bring us victory? We don’t know yet. But where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again. (6/6/1944.8)

Despite months of despair and bad news, the good news stirs hope and strength again.

Quote #6

It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are good at heart.

It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. (7/15/1944.12-13)

Ultimately, despite the horrors of war, Anne reaffirms her belief in the essential goodness of mankind.