Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.
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.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the importance of remembrance and responsibility towards those who suffered in the past.
In this quote, Simon Wiesenthal expresses the profound significance of keeping alive the memory of those who perished, particularly during the Holocaust. He emphasizes that while others may recount their earthly achievements, his response would be rooted in the moral obligation of remembrance, highlighting that forgetting the suffering of others is a grave injustice. This moral stance calls for a deeper understanding of history and the responsibilities we hold towards one another, making it a philosophical reflection on human values and accountability.
Themes
RemembranceResponsibilityHolocaustMemorySuffering
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day.
More from Simon Wiesenthal
All quotes →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
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 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
Similar quotes
The thing that brings people to wail at a wall, or face Mecca, or to go to church, is a search for that feeling of purity.
Michael J. FoxRead
When I consider the multitude of associated forces which are diffused through nature - when I think of that calm balancing of their energies which enables those most powerful in themselves, most destructive to the world's creatures and economy, to dwell associated together and be made subservient to the wants of creation, I rise from the contemplation more than ever impressed with the wisdom, the beneficence, and grandeur, beyond our language to express, of the Great Disposer of us all.
Michael FaradayRead
When the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again.
Edith HamiltonRead
For one who is indifferent, life itself is a prison. Any sense of community is external or, even worse, nonexistent. Thus, indifference means solitude. Those who are indifferent do not see others. They feel nothing for others and are unconcerned with what might happen to them. They are surrounded by a great emptiness. Filled by it, in fact. They are devoid of all hope as well as imagination. In other words, devoid of any future.
Elie WieselRead
You'll get used to it. In the end you won't even notice it anymore," he said. "How is that possible? It will always be there, right before my eyes." "Exactly," said Mattia. "Which is precisely why you won't see it anymore.
Paolo GiordanoRead
If you want to know what God thinks about money, just look at the people He gives it to.
Dorothy ParkerRead