Maurice Hankey, 'Notes on Hitler's External Policy in Theory and in Practice', memorandum to the British government (24 October 1933), quoted in Stephen Roskill, Hankey, Man of Secrets: Volume III 1931–1963 (1974), p. 85
“
Are we still dealing with the Hitler of Mein Kampf, lulling his opponents to sleep with fair words in order to gain time to arm his own people? Or is it a new Hitler, who has discovered the burden of responsible office? ... That is the riddle that has to be solved.
— Maurice Hankey
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Are we still dealing with the Hitler of Mein Kampf, lulling his opponents to sleep with fair words in order to gain time to arm his own people? Or is it a new Hitler, who has discovered the burden of responsible office? ... That is the riddle that has to be solved." in the context of "Maurice Hankey, 'Notes on Hitler's External Policy in Theory and in Practice', memorandum to the British government (24 October 1933), quoted in Stephen Roskill, Hankey, Man of Secrets: Volume III 1931–1963 (1974), p. 85" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Adolf Hitler" (Quotes about Hitler, Quotes before the end of World War II: (Note: many of the worst atrocities of Hitler's regime did not begin to become widely known until the final months of the war)
Sorted chronologically)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (adɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ; 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then taking the title of Führer ("Leader") in 1934. During his dictatorship, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland on 1 September 1939. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust: the genocide of about six million Jews and millions of other victims.
About Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (adɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ; 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then taking the title of Führer ("Leader") in 1934. During his dictatorship, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland on 1 September 1939. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust: the genocide of about six million Jews and millions of other victims.
View all quotes →