The stars were only sparks of the fire which devoured us. Should that fire die out one day, there would be nothing left in the sky but dead stars, dead eyes.

Some stories are true that never happened.

Simply because, one hand, there are the haters, … The hater has power. … All we can do is oppose it, or one becomes an accomplice.

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

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

I marvel at the resilience of the Jewish people. Their best characteristic is their desire to remember. No other people has such an obsession with memory.

In the beginning there was faith – which is childish; trust – which is vain; and illusion – which is dangerous.

I am so in favor of being involved in other people’s causes, other people’s fights. If a people is oppressed, we must help those people free themselves.

There is a difference between a book of two hundred pages from the very beginning, and a book of two hundred pages which is the result of an original eight hundred pages. The six hundred...

If the only prayer you say throughout your life is “Thank You,” then that will be enough.

This day I ceased to plead. I was no longer capable of lamentation. On the contrary, I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused.

Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds.

On a strictly military level, the operation is a success. For that, and for his brave decision to pursue peace even at present political cost, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon deserves praise. But starting now, Israelis...

Music does not replace words, it gives tone to the words

The letter was a very special letter, and it touched me, … I said, ‘How can I say no?’

Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.

We believed in God, trusted in man, and lived with the illusion that every one of us has been entrusted with a sacred spark.

We are still here. And no matter what, we shall continue to be here to tell people so they can learn from our history.

[I would suggest that this focus is not political but a normal part of the grieving journey. William Shakespeare, a bereaved father, said,] Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’er...

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.

Night is purer than day; it is better for thinking, loving and dreaming. At night everything is more intense, more true. The echo of words that have been spoken during the day takes on a...

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.

[He answers that question, both in the editorial and in the interview.] I hope the Palestinians have the same courage (Sharon) has shown now, … The communities should live in peace.

But where shall I start? The world is so vast, I shall start with the country I know best, my own. But my country is so very large, I had better start with my town....

Never have the relations between Jews and Catholics been as good.

Only one enemy is worse than despair: indifference. In every area of human creativity, indifference is the enemy; indifference of evil is worse than evil, because it is also sterile.

The world? The world is not interested in us. Today, everything is possible, even the crematoria…

Terrorism knows no borders. Therefore, opposition to terrorism must know no borders.

It’s not perfect. Nothing is perfect. Sometimes it takes time for the words to become more than words.

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.

Man asks and God replies but we don’t understand his replies because they dwell in the depths of our souls and remain there until we die.

Writing is not like painting where you add. It is not what you put on the canvas that the reader sees. Writing is more like a sculpture where you remove, you eliminate in order to...

Night. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me.

Violence is not the answer. Terrorism is the most dangerous of answers.

If there is a crisis in the world, the U.N. should send a task force immediately, within 24 hours,

Once you bring life into the world, you must protect it. We must protect it by changing the world.

At this moment, Israel fights for her existence,

We are here to let the Jewish state and its brave, beleaguered citizens and its valiant soldiers know that they are not alone.

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...

War is like night, she said. It covers everything.

Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.

I had a teacher that always told me, ‘Don’t promise, because if you promise, you must keep it.’ I promised, so here I am.

We must choose between the violence of adults and the smiles of children, between the ugliness of hate and the will to oppose it. Between inflicting suffering and humiliation on our fellow man and offering...

Man, as long as he lives, is immortal. One minute before his death he shall be immortal. But one minute later, God wins.

I do not recall a Jewish home without a book on the table.

True enemies aren’t always the ones who hate each other.

That is my major preoccupation, memory, the kingdom of memory. I want to protect and enrich that kingdom, glorify that kingdom and serve it.

I have to wonder about people who compare Israelis to Nazis.

I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.

Bread, soup – these were my whole life. I was a body. Perhaps less than that even: a starved stomach. The stomach alone was aware of the passage of time.