“A word of command has made these silent figures our enemies; a word of command might transform them into our friends.”

—  Erich Maria Remarque , book All Quiet on the Western Front

Paul after visiting Russian prisoners, Ch. 8
All Quiet on the Western Front (1929)

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Erich Maria Remarque photo
Erich Maria Remarque 63
German novelist 1898–1970

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Martin Luther King, Jr. quote: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”
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Variant: In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

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