Every morning for four years each Frenchman received his ration of hatred and his slap in the face -- when he opened his newspaper. Necessarily, some of that has remained with us. We were left with hatred... We were left with the rage that consumes our souls at the memory of certain images and certain faces. The executioners' hatred engendered the victims' hatred. And once the executioners had gone, the French were left with hatred only partially spent. They still look at one another with a residue of anger. Well, this is what we must overcome first of all. Our poisoned hearts must be cured. And the most difficult battle to be won against the enemy in the future must be fought within ourselves, with an exceptional effort that will transform our appetite for hatred into a desire for justice. Not giving into hatred, not making any concessions to violence, not allowing our passions to become blind -- these are the things we can still do for friendship and Hitlerism. Even today certain newspapers still indulge in violence and insult. But that is simply still giving in to the enemy. Instead, it is essential that we never let criticism descend to insult; we must grant that our opponent may be right and that in any case his reasons, even though bad, may be disinterested. It is essential, in short, that we remake our political mentality.
Albert Camus, Defense of Intelligence
