All of us, who are members of the Germanic peoples, can be happy

Heinrich Himmler once declared with unyielding devotion: “All of us, who are members of the Germanic peoples, can be happy and thankful that once in thousands of years fate has given us, from among the Germanic peoples, such a genius, a leader, our Führer Adolf Hitler, and you should be happy to be allowed to work with us.” These words were spoken in the service of a terrible ideology, yet they reveal a universal truth about the danger of misplaced thankfulness. For gratitude, when directed toward evil, becomes poison; when it glorifies tyranny, it blinds the soul and binds people into chains of deception.

The origin of this quote lies in the Nazi era, where leaders like Himmler sought to sanctify their movement by cloaking Hitler in myth. They cast him as a figure of destiny, a once-in-a-millennium savior chosen by fate itself. In this way, they cultivated loyalty not by reason, but by reverence. To question Hitler was to question destiny, to refuse gratitude for his rule was to betray one’s own people. Thus, thankfulness—normally a virtue—was twisted into a tool of oppression.

The ancients themselves warned against such misdirected worship of leaders. The Greeks told of hubris, when men were elevated beyond measure and became as gods in the eyes of their followers. History records how Alexander, though great in conquest, demanded divine honors and sowed unrest among his people. The Romans, too, saw their republic fall when Caesar was hailed not as man but as savior, his followers claiming destiny had given him to them. Himmler’s words echo these ancient errors: when a leader is exalted above all else, gratitude turns into idolatry, and idolatry into ruin.

We see in these words also the power of propaganda. Himmler sought to make his listeners believe that to serve under Hitler was not only duty but privilege, a rare blessing for which they should be grateful. This is the language of manipulation, for it redefines servitude as honor and obedience as joy. Such rhetoric is dangerous because it feeds upon a noble instinct—gratitude—and redirects it toward destructive ends. Just as a shepherd might lead his flock with gentle words, so did Himmler lead men toward darkness with the honeyed poison of false thankfulness.

History has shown the catastrophic fruits of such thinking. Under this veil of supposed gratitude, millions were led to participate in or tolerate atrocities—the Holocaust, war, and destruction across Europe. They believed they were serving destiny, when in truth they were serving death. The lesson is stark: gratitude must always be anchored in truth and morality, or else it can be weaponized by tyrants. To be thankful for evil is to betray the very essence of gratitude, turning it into a mask for cruelty.

The lesson for us is clear and eternal: never allow reverence for leaders or movements to blind you to justice. True greatness in leadership is measured not by conquest or charisma, but by compassion, humility, and service to humanity. Gratitude is a sacred virtue, but it must be directed rightly—toward what uplifts, heals, and protects life, not toward what destroys it. Whenever someone demands your thankfulness for their rule, examine whether they serve truth or their own power.

Practical action flows from this wisdom. Learn history, so that you may recognize the signs of tyranny when it arises cloaked in noble words. Practice gratitude daily, but anchor it in goodness—thank those who heal, who teach, who build, who sacrifice for others. And guard your heart from giving reverence to those who demand it, for true leaders do not hunger for worship, they labor for the wellbeing of all.

Thus, Himmler’s words, though born of darkness, become a warning for generations: that gratitude, when twisted into the service of evil, enslaves; but when rooted in truth, it liberates. Be thankful for what is good, resist what is false, and remember always that to exalt a tyrant as destiny is to surrender both freedom and soul.