“The worst guilt is to accept an unearned guilt.”
Ayn Rand (1905–1982) Russian-American novelist and philosopher
Source: A Summer Affair
“The worst guilt is to accept an unearned guilt.”
Ayn Rand (1905–1982) Russian-American novelist and philosopher
Hans Fritzsche (1900–1953) German Nazi official
To Leon Goldensohn, March 2, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" - by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German philosopher, poet, composer, cultural critic, and classical philologist
As translated in The Portable Nietzsche (1954) by Walter Kaufmann, p. 96
John Adams (1735–1826) 2nd President of the United States
1770s, Boston Massacre trial (1770)
Context: It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished.
But if innocence itself is brought to the bar and condemned, perhaps to die, then the citizen will say, "whether I do good or whether I do evil is immaterial, for innocence itself is no protection," and if such an idea as that were to take hold in the mind of the citizen that would be the end of security whatsoever.
“there is no collective guilt,… guilt is individual, like salvation." [p.28]”
Frederick Forsyth book The Odessa File
Source: The Odessa File
“Intent is guilt. Failure to successfully carry out the intent does not absolve the guilt.”
Terry Goodkind book Temple of the Winds
Source: Temple of the Winds
“It is impossible not to notice that our world is tormented by failure, hate, guilt, and fear.”
William Saroyan (1908–1981) American writer
Letter to Robert E. Sherwood (1946)
“My guilt is that I am still here…I should have died. That is my guilt.”
Franz Stangl (1908–1971) Austrian-born SS officer, commandant at first Sobibór extermination camp and then Treblinka extermination c…
Quoted in "Into that Darkness: From Mercy Killing to Mass Murder" - Page 364 - by Gitta Sereny - History