It is not tolerable, it is not possible, that from so much death, so much sacrifice and ruin, so much heroism, a greater and better humanity shall not emerge.

De Gaulle frames the immense suffering of modern war as creating a moral obligation: if societies endure “so much death” and “so much sacrifice,” they must not allow the outcome to be merely a return to the old order. The insistence—“not tolerable, not possible”—turns hope into a demand for political and ethical renewal. The line reflects a characteristic Gaullist faith in national and civilizational regeneration: catastrophe should yield a “greater and better humanity,” whether through stronger institutions, a more durable peace, or a reassertion of human dignity. It is both elegiac (acknowledging ruin) and programmatic (calling for transformation).