Gradually I came to realize that people will more readily swallow lies than truth, as if the taste of lies was homey, appetizing: a habit.
I followed the war wherever I could reach it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects a commitment to truth and the willingness to confront difficult realities.
Martha Gellhorn's quote expresses her determination to witness and report on war, emphasizing the journalist's role in documenting the harsh truths of conflict. By stating that she followed the war wherever she could reach it, she indicates not only her physical presence in war zones but also a moral obligation to tell the stories of those affected by war, showcasing her courage in facing danger and her dedication to revealing the reality of human suffering.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on press freedom, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of journalistic integrity in the face of conflict.
More from Martha Gellhorn
All quotes βIt would be a bitter cosmic joke if we destroy ourselves due to atrophy of the imagination.
the ends never justify the means because IT never ends.
Citizenship is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion and stand by it.
Thousand got away to other countries; thousands returned to Spain tempted by false promises of kindness. By the tens of thousands, these Spaniards died of neglect in the concentration camps.
By its existence, the Peace Movement denies that governments know best; it stands for a different order of priorities: the human race comes first.
Similar quotes
Revolutionaries don't get job security. They compete with rats for cheese and with strays for shelter--after the big bullets make feet out of their knees.
Army requests immediate permission to surrender in order to save lives of remaining troops.
Succeed in not fearing the lion, and the lion will fear YOU. Say to suffering, 'I will that you shall become a pleasure,' and it will prove to be such-- and even more than a pleasure, it will be a blessing.
Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm; great good fortune comes to failure in the end. All is change; all yields its place and goes; to persevere, trusting in what hopes he has, is courage in a man. The coward despairs.
I always felt that whatever I had to endure was nothing compared to what the average soldier, sailor or airman had to put up with.
Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters-mental or emotional or physical or otherwise-do not vote against the preciousness of life by ending it!