Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·79 of 348
"First they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't Jewish…"
They never said that.
What people say
"First they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't Jewish…"
What was actually said
First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Communist. Martin Niemöller — Public confession, Martin Niemöller, c. 1946
Why it stuck
Niemöller always began with "Communists" in his 1946 versions. The ordering was politically deliberate — he was confessing his own Protestant church's complicity with the Nazi persecution of the left. Later popular versions reshuffle.
Niemöller delivered dozens of variants himself across 1946–1976; the "Jews first" variant is post-hoc and softens his confession.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.