"What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander."
"In the word question, there is a beautiful word - quest. I love that word. We are all partners in a quest. The essential questions have no answers. You are my question, and I am yours - and then there is dialogue. The moment we have answers, there is no dialogue. Questions unite people."
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Source: Changing world of commencement speakers by Heidi Benson, www.sfgate.com. June 11, 2008.
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More quotes by Elie Wiesel
"Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe."
"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference."
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."
"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim."