The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Elie WieselRead
The Holocaust is a sacred subject. One should take off one's shoes when entering its domain, one should tremble each time one pronounces the word.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Holocaust should be treated with deep reverence and respect, recognizing its profound impact.
Elie Wiesel emphasizes the sanctity of the Holocaust, urging people to approach discussions about it with utmost seriousness and reverence. By likening the act of discussing the Holocaust to entering a sacred space, he highlights the importance of remembrance and the weight of the memories associated with this tragic event in human history.
Themes
HolocaustRememberanceSacredRespectHistory
In practice
Example use cases
During a memorial event for Holocaust victims, one might quote Wiesel to emphasize the significance of remembrance.
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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And in the absence of facts, myth rushes in, the kudzu of history.
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The eyes of all America are upon us, as we play our part posterity will bless or curse us.
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But what began in 1941 was a process of destruction not planned in advance, not organized centrally by any agency. There was no blueprint and there was no budget for destructive measures. They were taken step by step, one step at a time. Thus came about not so much a plan being carried out, but an incredible meeting of minds, a consensus - mind reading by a far-flung bureaucracy.
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