VVN-Nachrichten 3. Jg. Nr. 22, from 29th October 1947:
I knew him for fifteen years, but it was only when he left us, that I fully realized who he was. When I wrote the small chapter about the saint in my booklet, I thought of him, and when I tried to imagine the kind of worker who will be shaping the years ahead, he was my example. Whatever I thought about the saint and the worker, he was my measure.
Nikolaus Groß certainly did not go through life unnoticed, but he was not in the foreground. He knew how to speak in public, clear and intelligent with an intensive, warm-hearted power to convince, but he was not a great orator. The language of his brochures and articles was well shaped, but he was not an originally talented writer. His greatness and his outstanding personal example are rooted in his humanity. Bernhard Letterhaus who preceded him in death, called him the little man with the big soul. He was a person in whose presence one became good and at the same time ashamed of one`s own inadequacies.
Nikolaus Groß had the virtues, which are both extremely rare and extremely necessary in our time. He was filled with a kindness comprehending everything and everybody. He was aware of the power of gentleness. He was sincere and truthful, firm and brave, and he never exposed the extraordinary strength of his soul. His personality developed into such a state of maturity that the Unusual in him appeared to be normal. I am convinced that Nikolaus Groß who did not take the first position in life, will be increasingly recognized in the future.
His memory will not fade, but surpass that of all the other working class leaders, for he had, what most people don`t have: the familiar face. Everybody could detect in Him his better self. Basically what made him different from the rest of us was his greater humanity. I should really like to say: His greater holiness. It is strange indeed that we tend to consider this trait to be less amazing than an outstanding intellect or important capabilities.