The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Elie WieselRead
I believe that all the survivors are mad. One time or another their madness will explode. You cannot absorb that much madness and not be influenced by it. That is why the children of survivors are so tragic. I see them in school. They don't know how
Interpretation
What this quote means
Survivors carry deep emotional scars that can affect future generations.
Elie Wiesel's quote reflects on the profound impact of trauma experienced by survivors of horrific events. He suggests that the emotional turmoil and madness endured by survivors can have a generational effect, particularly on their children, who may grapple with the legacies of their parents’ experiences and struggles, resulting in their own tragic difficulties in navigating life.
Themes
SurvivorMadnessTraumaChildrenInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about generational trauma at a community center.
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.
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Certain things, certain events, seem inexplicable only for a time: up to the moment when the veil is torn aside.
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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.
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No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night.
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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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