J. R. R. Tolkien The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien No. 45: To his son Michael Tolkien (1941-06-09).
“

I have in this War a burning private grudge—which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light.

— J. R. R. Tolkien

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I have in this War a burning private grudge—which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light." in the context of "J. R. R. Tolkien The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien No. 45: To his son Michael Tolkien (1941-06-09)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
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

#Adolf Hitler#ever#intellectual#contribution#grudgewhich#inspiration#misapplying#perverting#ignoramus#probably#enhances#accursed
Adolf Hitler

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.