The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Elie WieselRead
Acutely aware of the poverty of my means, language became obstacle. At every page I thought, 'That's not it.' So I began again with other verbs and other images. No, that wasn't it either. But what exactly was that it I was searching for? It must have been all that eludes us, hidden behind a veil so as not to be stolen, usurped and trivialized. Words seemed weak and pale.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the struggle of an artist in expressing profound concepts through inadequate language.
In this quote, Elie Wiesel articulates the frustration experienced by writers and artists when their chosen medium fails to capture the complexity and depth of their thoughts and emotions. He conveys a sense of searching for a deeper truth or meaning that remains just out of reach, suggesting that the essence of what one wishes to express often evades precise articulation, leaving them to grapple with the limitations of language.
Themes
LanguageCreativityExpressionArtMeaning
In practice
Example use cases
During a literary workshop, to express the difficulties of writing, one might quote Wiesel.
More from Elie Wiesel
All quotes →With every cell of my being and with every fiber of my memory I oppose the death penalty in all forms. I do not believe any civilized society should be at the service of death. I don't think it's human to become an agent of the angel of death.
Elie WieselRead
Certain things, certain events, seem inexplicable only for a time: up to the moment when the veil is torn aside.
Elie WieselRead
We're alone, but we are capable of communicating to one another both our loneliness and our desire to break through it. You say, 'I'm alone.' Someone answers, 'I'm alone too.' There's a shift in the scale of power. A bridge is thrown between the two abysses.
Elie WieselRead
No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night.
Elie WieselRead
My loyalty to my people, to our people, and to Israel comes first and prevents me from saying anything critical of Israel outside Israel… As a Jew I see my role as a melitz yosher, a defender of Israel: I defend even her mistakes… I must identify with whatever Israel does – even with her errors.
Elie WieselRead
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