The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Humanity? Humanity is not concerned with us. Today anything is allowed. Anything is possible.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the moral indifference of humanity in the face of overwhelming possibilities, suggesting a loss of ethical concern.
Elie Wiesel's quote suggests a world where human beings are indifferent to moral responsibilities, and where the boundaries of what is acceptable have become blurred. He points out that in contemporary society, people may feel liberated to act without concern for humanity or ethics, leading to the idea that anything is permissible. This notion prompts a critical reflection on moral values and responsibilities in a world where freedom of action might overshadow the importance of compassion and consideration for others.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing youth about the importance of moral choices in today's world.
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.
Certain things, certain events, seem inexplicable only for a time: up to the moment when the veil is torn aside.
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.
No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night.
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.
Similar quotes
As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed. As long as the connection subsists between his reason and his self-love, his opinions and passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other, and the former will be objects to which the latter attach themselves.
Every action done by nature is done in the shortest way.
Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.'
There is never a shortage anywhere of lawyers eager to attack the First Amendment, as though it were nothing more than a clause in a lease from a crooked slumlord.
All human actions are equivalent... and all are on principle doomed to failure.
This Grave contains all that was Mortal of a Young English Poet Who on his Death Bed in the Bitterness of his Heart at the Malicious Power of his Enemies Desired these words to be engraved on his Tomb Stone "Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water."