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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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“And I believe that I will never be able to hate any human being for his so-called 'wickedness,' that I shall only hate the evil that is within me, though hate is perhaps putting it too strongly even then. In any case, we cannot be lax enough in what we demand of others and strict enough in what we demand of ourselves.”

“All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour. Because I and my neighbour and everyone else do not have enough love. Yet we could fight war and all its excrescences by releasing each day, the love which is shackled inside us, and giving it a chance to live.”

“I keep remembering from my early student days how I would walk at night through the streets, my hands bunched into fists in the pocket of my coat, my head hunched deep into my collar, and how I used to say, 'I want to work, I shall work'--and then I would come back home and be so exhausted by my determination that I had no strength left to do the actual work.”

“Unforgiveness is the most prolific cause of disease. It will harden arteries or liver, and affect the eye-sight. In its train are endless ills.”