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In the beginning there was faith – which is childish; trust – which is vain; and illusion – which is dangerous.

Elie Wiesel

Our obligation is to give meaning to life and in doing so to overcome the passive, indifferent life.
ELIE WIESEL

Life Meaning Obligation Ourselves Passive
We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph.
ELIE WIESEL

Different Measurement Person Philosophy Source Success Universe
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
Human beings should be held accountable. Leave God alone. He has enough problems.
ELIE WIESEL

Accountability Enough Human Leaving Problem
I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I’ve been closer to him for that reason.
ELIE WIESEL

Angry Faith God Lost Moments Myself Reason
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.
ELIE WIESEL

Change Destiny Human Ourselves Power
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
When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity.
ELIE WIESEL

Gratitude Herself Humanity Missing Person
To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.
ELIE WIESEL

Different Greatness Silence Sin
Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.
ELIE WIESEL

Human Man Suffering Woman
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
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.
ELIE WIESEL

God Mystery Oneself Religious Return Shaking
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
The philosophers are wrong: it is not words that kill, it is silence.
ELIE WIESEL

Kill Philosophy Silence Word Wrong
Only the guilty are guilty: the children of killers are not killers, but children.
ELIE WIESEL

Children Family Guilty Kill
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
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
To forget a Holocaust is to kill twice.
ELIE WIESEL

Death Forget Kill
Better that one heart be broken a thousand times in the retelling, he has decided, if it means that a thousand other hearts need not be broken at all.
ELIE WIESEL

Better Break Decision Heart Broken Oneself Time
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.
ELIE WIESEL

Crime Human Humanity Represent
Think higher, feel deeper.
ELIE WIESEL

Deep Feeling High One Liner Thinking
Once you bring life into the world, you must protect it. We must protect it by changing the world.
ELIE WIESEL

Change Life Protection World
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
Whoever survives a test, whatever it may be, must tell the story. That is his duty.
ELIE WIESEL

Himself Story Survive
Eternity is the place where questions and answers become one.
ELIE WIESEL

Forever Oneself Place Question
An indifference to suffering makes humans inhuman
ELIE WIESEL

Difference Human Suffering
Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
ELIE WIESEL

Help Oppression Side Victim

In the beginning there was faith – which is childish; trust – which is vain; and illusion – which is dangerous.

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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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Popular Authors

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