Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
It is hard, I submit, to loathe bloodshed, including war, more than I do, but it is still harder to exceed my loathing of the very nature of totalitarian states in which massacre is only an administrative detail.
Summary
In this quote, the author expresses their deep dislike for bloodshed, especially in the context of war. However, they assert that their disdain for totalitarian states, where mass killings are treated as mere administrative tasks, surpasses their abhorrence for violence. The quote highlights the author's vehement opposition to the nature of oppressive regimes, where human lives are commoditized and disregarded, invoking a stronger revulsion compared to the act of violence itself.