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Whether a revolution succeeds or fails people of great hearts will always be sacrificed to it.
Heinrich Heine
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Revolutions often come at a high cost, especially for those with noble intentions.

This quote by Heinrich Heine emphasizes the tragic reality that during revolutions, the individuals who possess the greatest virtue and passion often become the casualties, regardless of whether the revolution ultimately succeeds or fails. It highlights the sacrifices made by those with good hearts in the quest for change, drawing attention to the often brutal nature of societal transformations.

Themes

RevolutionSacrificeCourageHeartsChange

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used to inspire a group discussing the sacrifices made during historical revolutions.

More from Heinrich Heine

Das war ein vorspeil nur; That was only a prelude; dort wo man Buecher verbrennt, Where one burns books, vebrennt man auch am Ende One will also burn people Menchen. Eventually.
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Life is all too wondrous sweet, and the world is so beautifully bewildered; it is the dream of an intoxicated divinity.
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Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.
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I care little in the existence of a heaven or hell; self respect does not allow me to guide my acts with an eye toward heavenly salvation or hellish punishment. I pursue the good in life because it is beautiful and attracts me; and shun the bad because it is ugly and repulsive. All our acts should originate from the spring of unselfish love, whether there be a continuation after death or not.
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I wept in my dreams. I dreamed you lay in the grave; I awoke, and the tears still poured down my cheeks. I wept in my dreams, I dreamed you had left me; I awoke and I went on weeping long and bitterly. I wept in my dreams, I dreamed you were still kind to me; I awoke, and still the flow of my tears streams on.
Heinrich HeineRead
Oh, they loved dearly: their souls kissed, they kissed with their eyes, they were both but one single kiss.
Heinrich HeineRead

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