Elie Wiesel

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?

This is the role of writers: to turn their tears into a story - and perhaps into a prayer.

Night is purer than day; it is better for thinking and loving and dreaming.

Some events do take place but are not true;_x000D_ others are, although they never occurred.

Yet another last night. The last night at home, the last night in the ghetto, the last night in the train, and, now, the last night in Buna. How much longer were our lives to be dragged out from one 'last night' to another?

I wanted to come back to Sighet to tell you the story of my death. So that you could prepare yourselves while there was still time. To live? I don't attach any importance to my life any more. I'm alone. No, I wanted to come back, and to warn you. And see how it is, no one will listen to me.

God made (human beings) because he loves stories.

I rarely speak about God. To God yes. I protest against Him. I shout at Him. But open discourse about the qualities of God, about the problems that God imposes, theodicy, no. And yet He is there, in silence, in filigree.

Just as man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. If dreams reflect the past, hope summons the future.

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

There is much to be done, there is much that can be done... one person of integrity can make a difference.

Holy War is a contradiction of terms.

Perhaps fate isn't blind after all. Perhaps it's capable of fantasy, even compassion.

Every moment is a new beginning.

Even in darkness it is possible to create light.

When you die and go to heaven our maker is not going to ask, 'why didn't you discover the cure for such and such? why didn't you become the Messiah?' The only question we will be asked in that precious moment is 'why didn't you become you?'

Mankind needs peace more than ever, for our entire planet, threatened by nuclear war, is in danger of total destruction. A destruction only man can provoke, only man can prevent.

I have one request: may I never use my reason against truth.

There is divine beauty in learning... To learn means to accept the postulate that life did not begin at my birth. Others have been here before me, and I walk in their footsteps.

There are moments when I think it will never end, that it will last indefinitely. It's like the rain. Here the rain, like everything else, suggests permanence and eternity. I say to myself: it's raining today and it's going to rain tomorrow and the next day, the next week and the next century.

Anything you want to say about God you better make sure you can say in front of a pit of burning babies.