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

— Elie Wiesel

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.

— Elie Wiesel

Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession friendship is never anything but sharing.

— Elie Wiesel

Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.

— Elie Wiesel

From Jeff Greenfield: "I once asked Elie Wiesel "Are you an optimist or a pessimist?" "An optimist," he said. "I have to be.

— Elie Wiesel

He explained to me with great insistence that every question possessed a power that did not lie in the answer.

— Elie Wiesel

Historically, I come from Jewish history. I had the classic upbringing in the Yeshiva, learning, learning, and more learning.

— Elie Wiesel

Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another.

— Elie Wiesel

Human beings should be held accountable. Leave God alone. He has enough problems.

— Elie Wiesel

I decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owe something to the dead. And anyone who does not remember betrays them again.

— Elie Wiesel