The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Elie WieselRead
Language failed me very often, but then, the substitute for me was silence, but not violence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Silence can be a powerful alternative to language, especially when words fail us, but it should not be replaced by violence.
Elie Wiesel reflects on the limitations of language in expressing deep feelings and thoughts. He suggests that when words are inadequate, silence can serve as a meaningful response, emphasizing the importance of choosing silence over violence even in challenging circumstances.
Themes
SilenceLanguageViolenceCommunicationPeace
In practice
Example use cases
In a tense conversation where emotions are running high, you might say, 'As Elie Wiesel once said, silence can be a powerful response when language fails us.'
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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His mouth opens. From inside him comes a slow stream, without breath, without interruption. It flows up through his body and out upon me; it passes through the cabin, through the wreck; washing the cliffs and shores of the island, it runs northward and southward to the ends of the earth. Soft and cold, dark and unending, it beats against my eyelids, against the skin of my face.
J. M. CoetzeeRead