If you’ve ever spent any time on Pinterest or Instagram, you know that inspirational quotes are all the rage these days.
Typically, these quotes come from the greats, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. What’s more uplifting than hearing the words of amazing leaders throughout history? They’ve helped change our world for the better, so it makes sense that their messages would be full of wisdom and that they’d have a good influence on our lives.
However, it may disturb you to learn that even the bad guys — I’m talking really, really bad — have come up with some pretty inspiring ideas. As evidence, please enjoy the following statements by some of the world’s most terrible people — mass murderers and serial killers included.
1. “Words build bridges into unexplored regions.” — Adolf Hitler
2. “He who stops being better stops being good.” — Oliver Cromwell
3. “The real strong have no need to prove it to the phonies.” — Charles Manson
4. “I believe in one thing only, the power of human will.” — Joseph Stalin
5. “A man’s gotta make at least one bet a day, else he could be walking around lucky and never know it.” — Jim Jones
6. “Countless millions who have walked this earth before us have gone through this, so this is just an experience we all share.” — Ted Bundy
7. “Better to live a day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.” — Benito Mussolini
8. “Equality means nothing unless incorporated into the institutions.” — Slobodan Milošević
9. “Peace secured by slavish submission is not peace.” — Kim Il-sung
10. “I have sworn to only live free. Even if I find bitter the taste of death, I don’t want to die humiliated or deceived.” — Osama bin Laden
11. “An action committed in anger is an action doomed to failure.” — Genghis Khan
12. “If we knew the meaning of everything that was happening to us, there would be no meaning.” — Idi Amin
13. “Faith moves mountains, but only knowledge moves them to the right place.” — Joseph Goebbels
14. “Women hold up half the sky.” — Mao Zedong
15. “My honor is my loyalty.” — Heinrich Himmler
(via eBaum’s World)