"What good fortune for governments that the people…

“What good fortune for governments that the people do not think” is frequently said to be a quote of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), but it does not appear in his book, Mein Kempf (1925). “‘What luck for rulers that men do not think,’ Hitler said” was cited in a 1973 newspaper. “What good fortune for those in power that people do not think” was cited in a 1985 book.

“‘What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.’ Adolph Hitler” was posted on the newsgroup humanities.philosophy.objectivism on January 18, 1997. The lack of any known citations in the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s makes it unlikely that Hitler said the quotation.

Wikipedia: Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (German: [ˈadɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ] ( listen); 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was a German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; NSDAP), Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and Führer (“Leader”) of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator of the German Reich, he initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and was central to the Holocaust.

Wikiquote: Talk:Adolf Hitler
Unsourced
What luck for rulers that men do not think.

German Propaganda Archive
False Nazi Quotations
(...)
3. Hitler: “What Luck for Rulers that Men Do Not Think”
This alleged quotation by Adolf Hitler is on over 1,700,000 web pages. I think it is a fabrication, but am still investigating. It is not in Mein Kampf, nor in the Domarus edition of Hitler’s speeches. None of the pages that cite it gives a reliable source. Several cite a book that has it, but said book provides no reference to an original source.

29 April 1973, Indianapolis (IN) Star, “Ku Klux Klan Began In 1860s As A Joke,” sec. 2, pg 6, col. 2:
“What luck for rulers that men do not think,” Hitler said.

Google Books
Gods and Beasts:
The Nazis and the Occult
By Dusty Sklar
New York, NY: T. Y. Crowell
1977
Pg. 56:
All of which lent support to Hitler’s epigram in one of his more lucid moments: “What luck for the rulers that men do not think.”

1 September 1983, Detroit (MI) Free Press, “Today’s Test: ABCs,” pg. 6F, col. 8:
Which of these tyrants said, “What luck for rulers that men do not think”?
(“Adolf Hitler” is the correct answer.—ed.)

Google Books
Paths from a White Horse:
A Writer’s Memoir
By Peter Vansittart
New York, NY: Quartet Books, Limited
1985
Pg. 113:
‘What luck for rulers,’ Hitler continues, ‘that people do not think!’

Google Books
He Will Not Walk with Me
By Alice Bach
New York, NY: Delacorte Press
1985
Pg. 76:
He leaned on the podium and looked around the room. What good fortune for those in power that people do not think.”

28 January 1988, Lansing (MI) State Journal, pg. 10A, col. 5:
Adolf Hitler once said: “What luck for rulers that men do not think.”
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DICK WHITELOCK, chairman of Ionia County Libertarians

7 February 1988, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ), Parade magazine, “The Common Enemy” by Carl Sagan, pg. 6, col. 3:
The convenience of such a doctrine for national leaders is further clarified by Hitler’s remark: “What good fortune for those in power that people do not think!”

Google Groups: humanities.philosophy.objectivism
Mistakes we make (2nd Amendment)
T. Scheeler
1/18/97
(...)
“What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.” Adolph Hitler

Google Groups: humanities.music.composers.wagner
A Pagan Spoiled : Sex and Character in Wagner’s ‘Parsifal’ (book review)
Steppenwolf
1/22/04
(...)
I am reminded of a quote of Hitler’s from Mein Kampf - “How fortunate for governments that the people do not think”.

1 August 2006, Hattiesburg (MS) American, “Letters to the editor,” pg. A0:
Adolf Hitler said, “What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.” In November will we prove him right or wrong?
Robert R. Regl
Hattiesburg

Twitter
Mike‏
@YahwehYeshua
What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.
Adolf Hitler
8:48 PM - 6 Feb 2009