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 WIESELHuman beings should be held accountable. Leave God alone. He has enough problems.
More Elie Wiesel Quotes
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My faith is a wounded faith, but it’s not without faith. My life is not without faith.
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You’re shaking … so am I. It’s because of Jerusalem, isn’t it? One doesn’t go to Jerusalem, one returns to it. That’s one of its mysteries.
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We are all teachers, or should be. Anyone who relays experience to another person is a teacher. Not to transmit your experience is to betray it.
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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.
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Life is not a fist. Life is an open hand waiting for some other hand to enter it.
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Think higher, feel deeper.
ELIE WIESEL -
All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them. No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior.
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Every single human being is a unique human being. And, therefore, it’s so criminal to do something to that human being, because he or she represents humanity.
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I don’t want my past to become anyone else’s future.
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The philosophers are wrong: it is not words that kill, it is silence.
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Eternity is the place where questions and answers become one.
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For the dead and the living, we must bear witness. Not only are we responsible for the memories of the dead, we are responsible for what we do with those memories
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In the beginning there was faith – which is childish; trust – which is vain; and illusion – which is dangerous.
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In order to fly, you have to give up the ground you are standing on.
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Human beings all change. Not what they are but who they are. We have the power to change what we do with our life and turn it into our destiny.
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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?
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Only the guilty are guilty: the children of killers are not killers, but children.
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What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.
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I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I’ve been closer to him for that reason.
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Gratitude is a word that I cherish. Gratitude is what defines the happiness and humanity of the human being.
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Once you bring life into the world, you must protect it. We must protect it by changing the world.
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Every moment contains a spark of eternity.
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Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
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Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
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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 -
This is the role of writers: to turn their tears into a story – and perhaps into a prayer.
ELIE WIESEL