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The bombs I dropped on Germany between 1940 and 1944 maybe killed a Rilke or a Goethe or a Hölderin in his cradle. And yes, of course, if it had to be done over, I would do it again. Hitler had condemned us to kill. Not even the most just causes are ever innocent.

— Romain Gary

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More quotes by Romain Gary

During the war he was an airman and slaughtered civilians from on high.

Pseudo (1976)

Gari in Russian means "burn!"… I want to test myself, a trial by fire, so that my I is burned off.

La Nuit Sera Calme [The Night Will Be Calm (1974)

A writer’s subconscious is one of the filthiest places there are: as a matter of fact, you can find the whole world there.

The Dance of Genghis Cohn (1967)

To renew myself, to relive, to be someone else, was always the great temptation of my existence.

When a war is won, it's the losers, not the winners, who are liberated.

Tulipe (1946)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Romain Gary (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.