Drawn to childhood, the old man will seek it in a thousand different ways.

What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.

My teachers [ had the most impact in my life]. Of course, my father and grandfather, but after my family, my teachers.

What is being lost is the magic of the word. I am not an image person. Imagery belongs to another civilization: the caveman. Caveman couldn't express himself so he put images on walls.

I wanted to come back to Sighet to tell you the story of my death. So that you could prepare yourselves while there was still time. To live? I don't attach any importance to my life any more. I'm alone. No, I wanted to come back, and to warn you. And see how it is, no one will listen to me.

One more stab to the heart, one more reason to hate. One less reason to live.

Everybody around us was weeping. Someone began to recite Kaddish, the prayer for the dead. I don't know whether, during the history of the Jewish people, men have ever before recited Kaddish for themselves.