Quotation
Quote by Martin Niemöller
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Explore the idea
Understanding this quote
The speaker admits staying silent when socialists were targeted because he did not belong to that group. The line presents this silence as a warning: refusing to speak when others are attacked simply because their situation seems unrelated can leave injustice unchallenged. “First” also suggests this may be the beginning of a wider pattern.
Source & trust
About this quotation
- Source
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia
- Format
- Article
Explore the idea
Topics
Join the community
Keep meaningful words close.
Save quotes, follow people and topics, join conversations, and publish words of your own.
Conversation
0 comments
No comments yet.
Start the conversation about this quote.

Scraps Against the Light
Behind the old cinema, Mara stitched tiny worlds from discarded cloth. She had forgotten how to let anyone see them—until a group of children turned the town’s everyday motions into a play no one could perform alone.
Read Story