QuoteProject
The schools would fail through their silence, the Church through its forgiveness, and the home through the denial and silence of the parents. The new generation has to hear what the older generation refuses to tell it.
Simon Wiesenthal
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of communication between generations about uncomfortable truths and histories.

Simon Wiesenthal's quote reflects on the critical role of openness in education, spirituality, and family dynamics. He argues that silence from schools, churches, and parents leads to a failure to impart essential knowledge and moral lessons to the younger generation. This failure, rooted in a reluctance to address uncomfortable truths, ultimately hampers growth and understanding in society. Wiesenthal invites older generations to confront their pasts and share their experiences, asserting that it is essential for the new generation to learn from the insights that are often neglected or hushed.

Themes

CommunicationTruthEducationGenerationsSilence

In practice

Example use cases

During a public seminar on family communication, this quote can emphasize the necessity of discussing difficult topics.

More from Simon Wiesenthal

Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.
Simon WiesenthalRead
Justice for crimes against humanity must have no limitations.
Simon WiesenthalRead
My cause was justice, not vengeance. My work is for a better tomorrow and a more secure future for our children and grandchildren.
Simon WiesenthalRead
We know that we are not collectively guilty, so how can we accuse any other nation, no matter what some of its people have done, of being collectively guilty?
Simon WiesenthalRead
Human rights is the only ideology that deserves to survive
Simon WiesenthalRead
You're a religious man, ... You believe in God and life after death. I also believe. When we come to the other world and meet the millions of Jews who died in the camps and they ask us, 'What have you done?' there will be many answers. You will say, 'I became a jeweler.' Another will say, 'I smuggled coffee and American cigarettes.' Another will say, 'I built houses.' But I will say, 'I didn't forget you.'
Simon WiesenthalRead

Similar quotes

I had the great good fortune of getting my Ph.D. in the very first year that universities were actively seeking women faculty. The government was putting pressure on universities to hire more women.
Carol S. DweckRead
Reading is like looking through several windows which open to an infinite landscape....For me life without reading would be like being in prison, it would be as if my spirit were in a straightjacket; life would be a very dark and narrow place.
Isabel AllendeRead
Our priests and presidents, our surgeons and lawyers, our educators and newscasters need worry less about satisfying the demands of their discipline than the demands of good showmanship.
Neil PostmanRead
A newspaper that reduces its coverage of the news important to its community is certain to reduce its readership as well
Warren BuffettRead
Children not only have to learn what their parents learned in school, but also have to learn how to learn. This has to be recognized as a new problem which is only partly solved.
Margaret MeadRead
One of the very important characteristics of a student is to question. Let the students ask questions.
Abdul KalamRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.