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Quote by Etty Hillesum

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Etty: The Letters and Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943

Etty Hillesum's letters and diaries offer a profound and intimate look into the life of a young woman during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The volume provides a detailed account of her personal journey, reflections on human nature, and her deepening spiritual beliefs amidst the horrors of the Holocaust. more

Author

Etty Hillesum
Etty Hillesum

Etty Hillesum was a Dutch writer and diarist, born on January 15, 1914, and died on November 30, 1943. Her works are known for their profound personal insights and philosophical reflections on human existence. more

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“By 'coming to terms with life' I mean: the reality of death has become a definite part of my life; my life has, so to speak, been extended by death, by my looking death in the eye and accepting it, by accepting destruction as part of life and no longer wasting my energies on fear of death or the refusal to acknowledge its inevitability. It sounds paradoxical: by excluding death from our life we cannot live a full life, and by admitting death into our life we enlarge and enrich it.”

MeanRealityEyeEnergySpeakSoundTermAcceptingOur LivesDestructionAcknowledgeDefiniteFear Of DeathRefusalParts Of LifeAdmittingInevitabilityParadoxicalFull LifeReality Of Death
Author:Etty Hillesum
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“We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. Only if we become such that we can no longer adapt ourselves, only if, deep inside, we rebel against every kind of evil, will we be able to put a stop to it. ... while everything within us does not yet scream out in protest, so long will we find ways of adapting ourselves, and the horrors will continue.”

IfsWayHumansKindLongDoeAbleEvilCausesHuman BeingsConditionsHorrorProtestRebelScreamMonstrousDeep InsideAdapting
Book:Etty: The Letters and Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943
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“ought we not, from time to time, open ourselves up to cosmic sadness? ... Give your sorrow all the space and shelter in yourself that is its due, for if everyone bears his grief honestly and courageously, the sorrow that now fills the world will abate. But if you do not clear a decent shelter for your sorrow, and instead reserve most of the space inside you for hatred and thoughts of revenge-from which new sorrows will be born for others-then sorrow will never cease in this world and will multiply.”

IfsWorldGivingBornSpaceGriefClearSadnessThis WorldBearsOughtSorrowHatredRevengeDuesHonestlyCeaseDecentCosmicShelterReserves
Author:Etty Hillesum
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