Marthe Cohn > Quotes

“We are living history," I told my mother breathlessly one night after the radio had been turned off and we sat in complete silence.
"I could do with a little less history, thank you," she replied crisply and returned to mending some socks.”
― Marthe Cohn, Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany

“Spurred on by those in public life, the ordinary bigots seemed to find a voice.”
― Marthe Cohn, Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany

“War taught me many things, among them that, like anyone, I could be a coward one minute and brave the next, depending entirely on circumstance. They say that war brings out the best and the worst in people, and I certainly saw both sides. When I think of the dozens of people who risked their lives for us, it almost helps compensate for all the sad and bitter memories of those who were so cruel. War also made me accept the inevitable and savor the important gains, like my two wonderful sons and the granddaughter I might so easily have never lived to see.
Through the memories of those we’ve lost and our shared sense of unity and pride in what we’ve gained, I’ve somehow managed to keep hope alive, against what often seemed impossible odds.”
― Marthe Cohn, Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany

“one bicycle, but even if we’d had another, I think”
― Marthe Cohn, Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany

“awkward parent. His mother died in childbirth”
― Marthe Cohn, Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany