The Diary of Anne Frank Warfare Quotes

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

Quote #1

Every night hundreds of planes pass over Holland on their way to German cities, to sow their bombs on German soil. Every hour hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of people are being killed in Russia and Africa. No one can keep out of the conflict, the entire world is at war, and even though the Allies are doing better, the end is nowhere in sight. As for us, we’re quite fortunate. Luckier than millions of people. It’s quiet and safe here, and we’re using our money to buy food. We’re so selfish that we talk about "after the war" and look forward to new clothes and shoes when actually we should be saving every penny to help others when the war is over, to salvage whatever we can. (1/13/1943.3-4)

Being isolated from the war, the members of the Secret Annex have a difficult time understanding the scope of the damage and the effect the war is having on their country.

Quote #2

All we can do is wait, as calmly as possible, for it to end. Jews and Christians alike are waiting, the whole world is waiting, and many are waiting for death. (1/13/1943.6)

Anne sees the war as causing suffering not only for the Jews, but for the world as a whole, regardless of race or religion.

Quote #3

There are many resistance groups, such as Free Netherlands, that forge identity cards, provide financial support to those in hiding, organize hiding places and find work for young Christians who go underground. It’s amazing how much these generous and unselfish people do, risking their own lives to help and save others.

The best example of this is our own helpers, who have managed to pull us through so far and will hopefully bring us safely to shore, because otherwise they’ll find themselves sharing the fate of those they’re trying to protect. (1/28/1944.5-6)

War has the potential for bringing out the best, most self-sacrificial parts of people.