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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

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
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
In the face of suffering, one has no right to turn away, not to see.
ELIE WIESEL

Face Right See Suffering
An indifference to suffering makes humans inhuman
ELIE WIESEL

Difference Human Suffering
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
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
ELIE WIESEL

Action Death Live Memories Responsibility
We believed in God, trusted in man, and lived with the illusion that every one of us has been entrusted with a sacred spark.
ELIE WIESEL

Believe God Illusion Man Spark
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
To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.
ELIE WIESEL

Different Greatness Silence Sin
A Jew must be sensitive to the pain of all human beings. A Jew cannot remain indifferent to human suffering… The mission of the Jewish people has never been to make the world more Jewish, but to make it more human.
ELIE WIESEL

Human Mission Pain People Religion Suffering
Only the guilty are guilty: the children of killers are not killers, but children.
ELIE WIESEL

Children Family Guilty Kill
The most important question a human being has to face. What is it? The question, Why are we here?
ELIE WIESEL

Face Human Important Philosophy Question
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
Even in darkness it is possible to create light.
ELIE WIESEL

Creation Darkness Light Possible
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
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
ELIE WIESEL

Encouragement Silence Torment
Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair.
ELIE WIESEL

Despair Myself Rejection Remember Responsibility
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
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
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
In order to fly, you have to give up the ground you are standing on.
ELIE WIESEL

Fly Give Up Ground Order Stand Yourself
Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.
ELIE WIESEL

Exercise Himself Man Power Ultimate
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
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
Every moment contains a spark of eternity.
ELIE WIESEL

Forever Moments Myself Spark 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

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.

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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.

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Popular Authors

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