The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Elie WieselRead
Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Indifference is a profound moral failing that contributes to evil in the world.
Elie Wiesel's statement emphasizes that indifference, or the lack of concern for the suffering of others, is one of the greatest evils one can perpetuate. By choosing not to care or act in the face of injustice, individuals enable and exacerbate the suffering of those in need, making indifference a powerful force for harm in society.
Themes
IndifferenceEvilSufferingCompassionAction
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on humanitarian issues, one might say, 'As Elie Wiesel stated, 'Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil,' reminding us to take action.
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
Similar quotes
No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.
Frederick DouglassRead
As for politics, I’m an anarchist. I hate governments and rules and fetters. Can’t stand caged animals. People must be free.
Charlie ChaplinRead
In our rather stupid time, hunting is belittled and misunderstood, many refusing to see it for the vital vacation from the human condition that it is, or to acknowledge that the hunter does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, he kills in order to have hunted.
Jose Ortega Y GassetRead
Money is really worth no more than as it can be used to accomplish the Lord's work. Life is worth as much as it is spent for the Lord's service.
George MullerRead
Act in the moment, live in the present, slowly slowly don't allow the past to interfere And you will be surprised that life is such an eternal wonder, such a mysterious phenomenon and such a great gift that one simply feels constantly in gratitude. So this is my message for you: live in the moment, herenow. That's why I call it divine purity
RajneeshRead
It may be in the cultural particularities of people — in their oddities — that some of the most instructive revelations of what it is to be generically human are to be found.
Clifford GeertzRead