Joseph Goebbels

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change masses dumb gluttonous forgetful

“You can’t change the masses. They will always be the same: dumb, gluttonous and forgetful.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

lie big simple keep saying repeat believe

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

propaganda manipulate confident free will

"Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will."

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

propaganda aggression target

"Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred."

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

prove repetition square circle words mold idea disguise

“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be molded until they clothe ideas and disguise.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

press media keyboard government play

“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

propaganda principle few points repeat

“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

man honor conquer defend

“Man only honors what he conquers or defends.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

man animal beast prey housepet

“Man is and remains an animal. Here a beast of prey, there a housepet, but always an animal.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

propaganda good success bad result intelligent

“That propaganda is good which leads to success, and that is bad which fails to achieve the desired result. It is not propaganda’s task to be intelligent, its task is to lead to success.”

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

repeat lie often people believe

"If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself."

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

lie once thousand times truth

"A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth"

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

convert intellectuals argument crude clear emotions instinct

"There was no point in seeking to convert the intellectuals. For intellectuals would never be converted and would anyway always yield to the stronger, and this will always be "the man in the street." Arguments must therefore be crude, clear and forcible, and appeal to emotions and instincts, not the intellect. Truth was unimportant and entirely subordinate to tactics and psychology."

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

secret propaganda persuade immerse idea

"This is the secret of propaganda: Those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in the ideas of the propaganda, without ever noticing that they are being immersed in it."

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

news item publish purpose

"Not every item of news should be published. Rather must those who control news policies endeavor to make every item of news serve a certain purpose."

—Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945)

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