“In mysticism you can jump from A to Z. But the ultimate objective is the same. It's knowledge. It's truth.”

—  Elie Wiesel

In a 1978 interview with John S. Friedman, published in The Paris Review 26 (Spring 1984); and in Elie Wiesel : Conversations (2002) edited by Robert Franciosi, p. 87
Context: Miracles in mysticism don't occupy such an important place. It's metaphor, for the peasants, for the crowds, to impress people. What does mysticism really mean? It means the way to attain knowledge. It's close to philosophy, except in philosophy you go horizontally while in mysticism you go vertically. You plunge into it. Philosophy is a slow process of logic and logical discourse: A bringing B bringing C and so forth. In mysticism you can jump from A to Z. But the ultimate objective is the same. It's knowledge. It's truth.

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Elie Wiesel photo
Elie Wiesel 155
writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and … 1928–2016

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