“An immoral society betrays humanity because it betrays the basis for humanity, which is memory.”

— Elie Wiesel

"Building a Moral Society", Chamberlin Lecture at Lewis & Clark College (1995)
Context: An immoral society betrays humanity because it betrays the basis for humanity, which is memory. An immoral society deals with memory as some politicians deal with politics. A moral society is committed to memory: I believe in memory. The Greek word alethia means Truth, Things that cannot be forgotten. I believe in those things that cannot be forgotten and because of that so much in my work deals with memory... What do all my books have in common? A commitment to memory.

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Elie Wiesel 155

writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and … 1928–2016

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