Check out the best Elie Wiesel quotes that reflect themes of hope, faith, and humanity, reminding us that indifference is the greatest enemy of compassion.

Elie Wiesel was a Romanian-born American author, Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and passionate human rights activist.

His life was a testimony to resilience, truth, and the enduring power of memory. He is best known for his heart-wrenching memoir Night, which recounts his horrific experiences in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

Over the years, Wiesel authored more than 50 books and used his platform to inspire millions to never forget the past and speak out against injustice, oppression, and indifference around the world.

In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for being a “messenger to mankind,” dedicated to peace, atonement, and human dignity.

Wiesel’s life and words continue to inspire generations to stand up for truth, show empathy, and protect the most vulnerable.

Here are the most famous Elie Wiesel quotes that will touch your heart and remind you to never stay silent in the face of injustice.

Top 10 Elie Wiesel Quotes

1. “Even in darkness it is possible to create light.” — Elie Wiesel

   

2. “One person of integrity can make a difference.” — Elie Wiesel

   

3. “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” — Elie Wiesel

   

4. “To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.” — Elie Wiesel

   

5. “Those who kept silent yesterday will remain silent tomorrow.” — Élie Wiesel, Night

   

6. “Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another.” — Elie Wiesel

   

7. “When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity.” — Elie Wiesel

   

8. “What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.” — Elie Wiesel

   

9. “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” — Elie Wiesel

   

10. “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” — Elie Wiesel

Best Elie Wiesel Quotes

1. “To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” — Elie Wiesel
2. “In order to fly, you have to give up the ground you are standing on.” — Elie Wiesel
3. “I learned to trust the threats of enemies before the promises of friends.” — Elie Wiesel
4. “Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair.” — Elie Wiesel
5. “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.” — Elie Wiesel
6. “Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.” — Elie Wiesel
7. “No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.” — Elie Wiesel
8. “Just as man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. If dreams reflect the past, hope summons the future.” — Elie Wiesel
9. “Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” — Elie Wiesel
10. “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness. Not only are we responsible for the memories of the dead, we are responsible for what we do with those memories.” — Elie Wiesel

Inspirational Elie Wiesel Quotes

1. “I don’t want my past to become anyone else’s future.” — Elie Wiesel
2. “People become the stories they hear and the stories they tell.” — Elie Wiesel
3. “In the face of suffering, one has no right to turn away, not to see.” — Elie Wiesel
4. “The philosophers are wrong: it is not words that kill, it is silence.” — Elie Wiesel
5. “Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.” — Elie Wiesel
6. “Life is not a fist. Life is an open hand waiting for some other hand to enter it.” — Elie Wiesel
7. “There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.” — Elie Wiesel
8. “Human beings should be held accountable. Leave God alone. He has enough problems.” — Elie Wiesel
9. “There is divine beauty in learning… To learn means to accept that life did not begin at my birth.” — Elie Wiesel
10. “Once you bring life into the world, you must protect it. We must protect it by changing the world.” — Elie Wiesel
11. “Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” — Elie Wiesel
12. “The gates of the camp opened. It seemed as though an even darker night was waiting for us on the other side. ” —Elie Wiesel
13. “I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I’ve been closer to him for that reason.” — Elie Wiesel
14. “I came to the conclusion that I am free to choose my own suffering. But I am not free to consent to someone else’s suffering.” — Elie Wiesel
15. “Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.” — Elie Wiesel

Famous Quotes From Night By Elie Wiesel

1. “I shall always remember that smile. From what world did it come from?” — Elie Wiesel, Night
2. “One more stab to the heart, one more reason to hate. One less reason to live.” — Elie Wiesel, Night
3. “I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.” — Elie Wiesel, Night
4. “For in the end, it is all about memory, its sources and its magnitude, and, of course, its consequences.” — Elie Wiesel, Night
5. “In the beginning there was faith – which is childish; trust – which is vain; and illusion – which is dangerous.” — Elie Wiesel, Night
6. “He explained to me with great insistence that every question posessed a power that did not lie in the answer.” — Elie Wiesel, Night
7. “I told him that I did not believe that they could burn people in our age, that humanity would never tolerate it…” — Elie Wiesel, Night
8. “Did I write it so as not to go mad or, on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of madness?” — Elie Wiesel, Night
9. “…I believe it important to emphasize how strongly I feel that books, just like people, have a destiny. Some invite sorrow, others joy, some both.” — Elie Wiesel, Night
10. “They are committing the greatest indignity human beings can inflict on one another: telling people who have suffered excruciating pain and loss that their pain and loss were illusions. (v)” — Elie Wiesel, Night

Conclusion

What are your favorite Elie Wiesel quotes and sayings (with images) listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed then let us know in the comments section below.

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