To everyone in the foyer reading the lists, or on the sidewalks waving signs and photos of their families whod disappeared, I said over and over again: Everyone is dead. If they insisted, showing me family photos, Id calmly say: Were there any children? Not a single child will come back. I didnt mince my words, I didnt try to spare their feelings, I was used to death. Id become as hard-hearted as the deportees who saw us arrive at Birkenau without saying a single comforting word. Surviving makes other peoples tears unbearable. You might drown in them.
grief grief-and-loss survival war

About This Quote

Themes

  • War — Reflections on conflict, peace, and the human cost of war

More quotes by Marceline Loridan-Ivens, But You Did Not Come Back

“Surviving makes other peoples tears unbearable. You might drown in them.”
— Marceline Loridan-Ivens, But You Did Not Come Back
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“...our family became a place where you screamed for help but no one heard, not ever.”
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“Surviving makes other people’s tears unbearable. You might drown in them.”
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