black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

No human being is illegal. That is a contradiction in terms. Human beings can be beautiful or more beautiful, they can be fat or skinny, they can be right or wrong, but illegal? How can a human being be illegal?

Elie Wiesel

A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.
ELIE WIESEL

Election God Official Person Religious
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
ELIE WIESEL

Failure Injustice Power Protest Time
But where was I to start? The world is so vast, I shall start with the country I knew best, my own. But my country is so very large. I had better start with my town. But my town, too, is large. I had best start with my street. No, my home. No, my family. Never mind, I shall start with myself.
ELIE WIESEL

Better Country Inspirational Myself Start World
Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
ELIE WIESEL

Help Oppression Side Victim
For nearly 3,500 years Exodus has left such an imprint on people’s memories that I cannot imagine it had been invented just as a legend or a tale.
ELIE WIESEL

Imagination Invention Memories Myself People Time
All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them. No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior.
ELIE WIESEL

Collection Faith Inferior Judgement Religion
In order to fly, you have to give up the ground you are standing on.
ELIE WIESEL

Fly Give Up Ground Order Stand Yourself
I was there when God was put on trial. At the end of the trial, they used the word chayav, rather than ‘guilty’. It means ‘He owes us something’. Then we went to pray.
ELIE WIESEL

Death End God Guilty Himself Prayer Trial
Be careful with words, they’re dangerous. Be wary of them. They begat either demons or angels. It’s up to you to give life to one or the other. Be careful, I tell you, nothing is as dangerous as giving free rein to words
ELIE WIESEL

Angel Care Dangerous Demon Myself Word
What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.
ELIE WIESEL

Cruelty Discrimination Hurt Silence Stand Victim
For us it’s not easy to be conformist, I cannot stand to be conformist, I don’t accept what it is, I like to say no. If I see an injustice I scream.
ELIE WIESEL

Acceptance Confirm Easy Justice Myself Stand
Most people think that shadows follow, precede or surround beings or objects. The truth is that they also surround words, ideas, desires, deeds, impulses and memories.
ELIE WIESEL

Desire Ideas Memories People Shadow Surround Thinking Truth
Emphasis must be put on learning: there is no substitute to education. It can be briefly formulated in a few words: always, whatever you do in life, think higher and feel deeper.
ELIE WIESEL

Education Learning Substitute Word
Education in the key to preventing the cycle of violence and hatred that marred the 20th century from repeating itself in the 21st century.
ELIE WIESEL

Education Hate Repeat Violence
This is the role of writers: to turn their tears into a story – and perhaps into a prayer.
ELIE WIESEL

Pain Prayer Role Tears Writing
Think higher, feel deeper.
ELIE WIESEL

Deep Feeling High One Liner Thinking

No human being is illegal. That is a contradiction in terms. Human beings can be beautiful or more beautiful, they can be fat or skinny, they can be right or wrong, but illegal? How can a human being be illegal?

Related Topics

Popular Authors

No human being is illegal. That is a contradiction in terms. Human beings can be beautiful or more beautiful, they can be fat or skinny, they can be right or wrong, but illegal? How can a human being be illegal?

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Elie Wiesel Quotes