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Suffering pulls us farther away from other human beings. It builds a wall made of cries and contempt to separate us.

Elie Wiesel

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
I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.
ELIE WIESEL

Endurance Human Humiliation Myself Silence
Every Jew, somewhere in his being, should set apart a zone of hate – healthy virile hate – for what the German personifies and for what persists in the German.
ELIE WIESEL

Hate Health Persistence Religious
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
ELIE WIESEL

Encouragement Silence Torment
My faith is a wounded faith, but my life is not without faith. I didn’t divorce God, but I’m quarrelling and arguing and questioning, it’s a wounded faith.
ELIE WIESEL

Divorce Faith God Life Myself Question Wound
I decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owe something to the dead. and anyone who does not remember betrays them again.
ELIE WIESEL

Betrayal Decision Life Myself Remember Story Survive
In the beginning there was faith – which is childish; trust – which is vain; and illusion – which is dangerous.
ELIE WIESEL

Beginning Children Dangerous Faith Illusion Trust
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
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
Bite your lips, little brother…Don’t cry. Keep your anger, your hate, for another day, for later. The day will come but not now…Wait. Clench your teeth and wait.
ELIE WIESEL

Angry Bite Cry Day Lips Wait
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
The philosophers are wrong: it is not words that kill, it is silence.
ELIE WIESEL

Kill Philosophy Silence Word Wrong
One person of integrity can make a difference.
ELIE WIESEL

Difference Integrity Oneself Person
My faith is a wounded faith, but it’s not without faith. My life is not without faith.
ELIE WIESEL

Faith Life Myself Religious Wound
Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.
ELIE WIESEL

Human Man Suffering Woman
To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.
ELIE WIESEL

Different Greatness Silence Sin
In order to fly, you have to give up the ground you are standing on.
ELIE WIESEL

Fly Give Up Ground Order Stand Yourself
Just as man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. If dreams reflect the past, hope summons the future.
ELIE WIESEL

Dreams Future Hope Live Man Reflection
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
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
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

Appearance Beautiful Contradiction Human Illegal Right Wrong
Gratitude is a word that I cherish. Gratitude is what defines the happiness and humanity of the human being.
ELIE WIESEL

Cherish Definition Gratitude Happiness Humanity Myself
The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Indifference creates evil. Hatred is evil itself. Indifference is what allows evil to be strong, what gives it power.
ELIE WIESEL

Allow Difference Hate Love Power
Whoever survives a test, whatever it may be, must tell the story. That is his duty.
ELIE WIESEL

Himself Story Survive
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
Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.
ELIE WIESEL

Exercise Himself Man Power Ultimate
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

Suffering pulls us farther away from other human beings. It builds a wall made of cries and contempt to separate us.

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Suffering pulls us farther away from other human beings. It builds a wall made of cries and contempt to separate us.

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Popular Authors

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