The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Elie WieselRead
Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of standing against persecution and injustice, highlighting the need to pay attention to suffering communities.
Elie Wiesel's quote underscores the moral obligation to acknowledge and respond to the suffering of those who are persecuted for their identity or beliefs. It suggests that injustice anywhere is a matter of concern for everyone, and that we must center our attention and efforts on these critical issues, making them a priority in our lives and actions.
Themes
PersecutionInjusticeAwarenessHuman RightsSuffering
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about human rights, you might quote Wiesel to emphasize the need for social justice.
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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I'm against genocide. I'm against fascism. I'm willing to fight against them so that, in that sense, I think one can still be committed to justice and committed to peace but recognize the circumstances under which one does have to fight.
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I was as afraid as the next man in my time and maybe more so. But with the years, fear had come to be regarded as a form of stupidity to be classed with overdrafts, acquiring a venereal disease or eating candies. Fear is a child's vice and while I loved to feel it approach, as one does with any vice, it was not for grown men and the only thing to be afraid of was the presence of true and imminent danger in a form that you should be aware of and not be a fool if you were responsible for others.
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