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Elie Wiesel

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This day I ceased to plead. I was no longer capable of lamentation. On the contrary, I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Religion
We have to go into the despair and go beyond it, by working and doing for somebody else, by using it for something else.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
My faceless neighbor spoke up:

“Don’t be deluded. Hitler has made it clear that he will annihilate all Jews before the clock strikes twelve.”

I exploded:

“What do you care what he said? Would you want us to consider him a prophet?
His cold eyes stared at me. At last he said, wearily:

“I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
War is like night, she said. It covers everything.
From Dawn
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
Even in darkness it is possible to create light and encourage compassion. That it is possible to feel free inside a prison. That even in exile, friendship exists and can become an anchor. That one instant before dying, man is still immortal.
From Open Heart
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever."

"Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational, Philosophical
I still believe in man in spite of man. I believe in language even though it has been wounded, deformed, and perverted by the enemies of mankind. And I continue to cling to words because it is up to us to transform them into instruments of comprehension rather than contempt. It is up to us to choose whether we wish to use them to curse or to heal, to wound or to console.
From Open Heart
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Life
Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational
From Jeff Greenfield: "I once asked Elie Wiesel "Are you an optimist or a pessimist?" "An optimist," he said. "I have to be.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Philosophical
Did hope help us to survive, or not? Too many families clung to it all through the war, thus falling into the enemy's trap. But would they have survived without hope? Hope is sometimes unworthy of us, Tamar said, but despair is even worse if it kills the will to act, to confront events, to protest evil, to shout, No! We are not blind, we will not submit! If the absurd exists, we will respond. With reason or with more absurdity—but we'll respond.
From The Forgotten
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
No human being is illegal.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Life
A disciple came to the celebrated Master of the Good Name with a question. “Rabbi, how are we to distinguish between a true master and a fake?” And the master of the good name said, “When you meet a person who poses as a master, ask him a question: whether he knows how to purify your thoughts. If he says that he knows, then he is a fake.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Religion
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Philosophical
If the only prayer you say throughout your life is "Thank You," then that will be enough.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational
This day I ceased to plead. I was no longer capable of lamentation. On the contrary, I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Religion
We have to go into the despair and go beyond it, by working and doing for somebody else, by using it for something else.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
My faceless neighbor spoke up:

“Don’t be deluded. Hitler has made it clear that he will annihilate all Jews before the clock strikes twelve.”

I exploded:

“What do you care what he said? Would you want us to consider him a prophet?
His cold eyes stared at me. At last he said, wearily:

“I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
War is like night, she said. It covers everything.
From Dawn
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
Even in darkness it is possible to create light and encourage compassion. That it is possible to feel free inside a prison. That even in exile, friendship exists and can become an anchor. That one instant before dying, man is still immortal.
From Open Heart
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever."

"Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational, Philosophical
I still believe in man in spite of man. I believe in language even though it has been wounded, deformed, and perverted by the enemies of mankind. And I continue to cling to words because it is up to us to transform them into instruments of comprehension rather than contempt. It is up to us to choose whether we wish to use them to curse or to heal, to wound or to console.
From Open Heart
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Life
Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational
From Jeff Greenfield: "I once asked Elie Wiesel "Are you an optimist or a pessimist?" "An optimist," he said. "I have to be.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Philosophical
Did hope help us to survive, or not? Too many families clung to it all through the war, thus falling into the enemy's trap. But would they have survived without hope? Hope is sometimes unworthy of us, Tamar said, but despair is even worse if it kills the will to act, to confront events, to protest evil, to shout, No! We are not blind, we will not submit! If the absurd exists, we will respond. With reason or with more absurdity—but we'll respond.
From The Forgotten
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
No human being is illegal.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Life
A disciple came to the celebrated Master of the Good Name with a question. “Rabbi, how are we to distinguish between a true master and a fake?” And the master of the good name said, “When you meet a person who poses as a master, ask him a question: whether he knows how to purify your thoughts. If he says that he knows, then he is a fake.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Religion
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Philosophical
If the only prayer you say throughout your life is "Thank You," then that will be enough.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational
This day I ceased to plead. I was no longer capable of lamentation. On the contrary, I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Religion
We have to go into the despair and go beyond it, by working and doing for somebody else, by using it for something else.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
My faceless neighbor spoke up:

“Don’t be deluded. Hitler has made it clear that he will annihilate all Jews before the clock strikes twelve.”

I exploded:

“What do you care what he said? Would you want us to consider him a prophet?
His cold eyes stared at me. At last he said, wearily:

“I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
War is like night, she said. It covers everything.
From Dawn
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
Even in darkness it is possible to create light and encourage compassion. That it is possible to feel free inside a prison. That even in exile, friendship exists and can become an anchor. That one instant before dying, man is still immortal.
From Open Heart
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever."

"Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Death
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational, Philosophical
I still believe in man in spite of man. I believe in language even though it has been wounded, deformed, and perverted by the enemies of mankind. And I continue to cling to words because it is up to us to transform them into instruments of comprehension rather than contempt. It is up to us to choose whether we wish to use them to curse or to heal, to wound or to console.
From Open Heart
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Life
Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational
From Jeff Greenfield: "I once asked Elie Wiesel "Are you an optimist or a pessimist?" "An optimist," he said. "I have to be.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.
From Night
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Philosophical
Did hope help us to survive, or not? Too many families clung to it all through the war, thus falling into the enemy's trap. But would they have survived without hope? Hope is sometimes unworthy of us, Tamar said, but despair is even worse if it kills the will to act, to confront events, to protest evil, to shout, No! We are not blind, we will not submit! If the absurd exists, we will respond. With reason or with more absurdity—but we'll respond.
From The Forgotten
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Hope
No human being is illegal.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Life
A disciple came to the celebrated Master of the Good Name with a question. “Rabbi, how are we to distinguish between a true master and a fake?” And the master of the good name said, “When you meet a person who poses as a master, ask him a question: whether he knows how to purify your thoughts. If he says that he knows, then he is a fake.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Religion
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Philosophical
If the only prayer you say throughout your life is "Thank You," then that will be enough.
NOT YET RATING ▼
Topic: Inspirational