Quotes from Elie Wiesel

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.

For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.

Write only if you cannot live without writing. Write only what you alone can write.

For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.

Think higher, feel deeper.

We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph.

Once upon a time refugee meant somebody who has a refuge, found a place, a haven where he could find refuge.

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.

My teachers [ had the most impact in my life]. Of course, my father and grandfather, but after my family, my teachers.

The only way for us to help ourselves is to help others and to listen to each other's stories.

Did everything I could in my life to be immune to hatred, because hatred is a cancer.