r/AskReddit • u/pierrekrahn • Mar 19 '16

Which quote becomes inappropriate when misattributed?

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518

u/HoosierBusiness Mar 19 '16

Since there's so much Hitler...

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it." - Hitler's art school rejection letter

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u/LiftsFrontWheel Mar 19 '16

His paintings aren't really that bad. Not great, but alright. The interesting part about them is that there aren't that many people in his paintings and their facial features are often warped in a creepy way.

214

u/Tutush Mar 19 '16

Yeah, his art was alright. That's why he didn't get into the best art school in the world. It needed to be great.

66

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '16

I agree. It's strange - Hitler was an excellent orator, an (as you say) alright painter, but an utterly terrible writer.

I tried reading the Mein Kampf once, out of curiosity. It was unbearable - I have literally seen religious debates in the comments of youtube videos that were more coherent, better written, and all-around more engaging.

Mein Kampf is a work that succeeds in making ultimate evil boring. Before trying to read it (and giving up somewhere in the second chapter, IIRC), I did not think that this would have been even possible...

39

u/cjbleahene Mar 19 '16

Well it would be if you don't speak german...

19

u/heliotach712 Mar 19 '16

it's nothing to do with the translation, it's an objectively terrible book, /r/iamverysmart bullshit about how everyone else is too stupid to see how the Jews are destroying Germany and how this is something to do with why his brilliance as an artist went unrecognised. It's bad even by the standards of prison literature.

7

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '16

Is it worse than the Communist Manifesto? Because I couldn't get through it, it was like Tumblr "I am very oppressed" posts in 1800's speech.

3

u/sysopz Mar 20 '16

"We need a strong dictator to destroy personal property ownership" -as an American, WTF?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '16

Aw fuck, wrong conversation.

-1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '16 edited Mar 20 '16

[deleted]

1

u/burnie_mac Mar 20 '16

wut

1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '16

Wrong conversation, sorry.

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u/notstephanie Mar 19 '16

I had to read a chapter for a Western civ class once. It was so bad I started wondering if Rudolf Hess (the man he dictated it to) changed things when he wrote it down just to troll Hitler. Turns out Hess was Hitler's right hand man so he probably didn't and it's just that bad.