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I have been used to justify almost everything I opposed. The Nazis claimed me after my death; my sister Elisabeth had edited my notebooks and sold access to my name. I had called German nationalism a sickness. I had called antisemitism contemptible. I had mocked the state. None of this prevented the misuse.

Perhaps this is the appropriate punishment for a philosopher who said that truths are interpretations — that there are no facts, only perspectives. I gave the world a mirror that showed it what it wanted to see, and was surprised when the mirror was used to confirm rather than challenge. I should not have been surprised. I said as much myself. I simply did not expect to become the example.