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Wilma Derksen
André Trocmé was a pastor of the Huguenot faith, a sect of French Protestants. During World War II, Trocmé lived with his family in the small mountain town of Le Chambon-sur-Ligne, where he and the rest of the townspeople sheltered Jewish people and refused to adhere to the fascist ways of Marshal Philippe Pétain. This attracted quite a bit of negative attention, but Trocmé refused to compromise his values. In fact, he was so committed to his morals that he declined to sign an oath of loyalty to the fascist French regime even when he and his close friend, Édouard Theis, were put in an internment camp. And yet, the guards were so flustered by their refusal that they let both Trocmé and Theis go, not knowing what to do with them. This, Gladwell upholds, is evidence that truly “disagreeable” underdogs are difficult to thwart, since they not only have the courage to stand up against authority, but also are willing to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs.
André Trocmé Quotes in David and Goliath
The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by André Trocmé or refer to André Trocmé. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 9: André Trocmé
Quotes
But had the police asked him if he was Beguet, he had already decided to tell the truth: ‘I am not Monsieur Beguet. I am Pastor Andre Trocmé.” He didn’t care. If you are Goliath, how on earth do you defeat someone who thinks like that? You could kill him, of course. But that is simply a variant of the same approach that backfired so spectacularly for the British in Northern Ireland and for the Three Strikes campaign in California. The excessive use of force creates legitimacy problems, and force without legitimacy leads to defiance, not submission. You could kill Andre Trocmé. But in all likelihood, all that would mean is that another Andre Trocmé would rise in his place.
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André Trocmé Quotes in David and Goliath
The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by André Trocmé or refer to André Trocmé. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 9: André Trocmé
Quotes
But had the police asked him if he was Beguet, he had already decided to tell the truth: ‘I am not Monsieur Beguet. I am Pastor Andre Trocmé.” He didn’t care. If you are Goliath, how on earth do you defeat someone who thinks like that? You could kill him, of course. But that is simply a variant of the same approach that backfired so spectacularly for the British in Northern Ireland and for the Three Strikes campaign in California. The excessive use of force creates legitimacy problems, and force without legitimacy leads to defiance, not submission. You could kill Andre Trocmé. But in all likelihood, all that would mean is that another Andre Trocmé would rise in his place.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
