“You must intervene. You must interfere. And that is actually the motto of human rights.”

—  Elie Wiesel

Commencement ceremony http://piermarton.info/elie-wiesel-do-not-stand-idly-by-if-you-witness-injustice/ (Class of 2011) at Washington University in St. Louis.
Context: The greatest commandment to me in the Bible is not the Ten Commandments. (First of all, it’s too difficult to observe; second, we all pretend to observe.) My commandment is ‘Thou shall not stand idly by.’ Which means, when you witness an injustice: Don’t stand idly by. When you hear of a person or a group being persecuted: Do not stand idly by. When there is something wrong with the community around you or far away: Do not stand idly by. You must intervene. You must interfere. And that is actually the motto of human rights.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "You must intervene. You must interfere. And that is actually the motto of human rights." by Elie Wiesel?
Elie Wiesel photo
Elie Wiesel 155
writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and … 1928–2016

Related quotes

“"Safety first" has been the motto of the human race for half a million years; but it has never been the motto of leaders. A leader must face danger. He must take the risk and the blame, and the brunt of the storm.”

Herbert N. Casson (1869–1951) Canadian journalist and writer

Herbert N. Casson in: The Office Economist (1935) Vol. 17-21. p. 145
1920s-1940s

Chaim Soutine photo

“You have no right to interfere with my art. Your wife is not your property. I need her, in order to finish my picture, I must have her! I will sue you! [the woman returned by persuasion of the Castaings who supported Soutine].”

Chaim Soutine (1893–1943) painter

Source: Life with the painters of La Ruche, Vorobëv Marevna, Macmillan, New York, 1972, p. 156.
reacting to the husband of his model a railway gate-keeper; his wife had to pose a second session for Soutine's painting 'The siesta', in 1934

Cary Grant photo

“You must learn to live within yourself … You must establish the values by which you live. You must first recognize the need, and if it is right you will be amazed at how things will open up.”

Cary Grant (1904–1986) British-American film and stage actor

Love – That’s All Cary Grant Ever Thinks About (1964)

John C. Maxwell photo

“You must do right before you feel good.”

John C. Maxwell (1947) American author, speaker and pastor
Christopher Moore photo
Marie Curie photo
Jimmy Carter photo

“Our commitment to human rights must be absolute, our laws fair, our natural beauty preserved; the powerful must not persecute the weak, and human dignity must be enhanced.”

Jimmy Carter (1924) American politician, 39th president of the United States (in office from 1977 to 1981)

Presidency (1977–1981), Inaugural Address (1977)
Context: We have already found a high degree of personal liberty, and we are now struggling to enhance equality of opportunity. Our commitment to human rights must be absolute, our laws fair, our natural beauty preserved; the powerful must not persecute the weak, and human dignity must be enhanced.

Mooji photo
Arthur Conan Doyle photo

Related topics