Etty Hillesum Quotes

Etty Hillesum — Dutch Lawyer born on January 15, 1914, died on November 30, 1943

Esther "Etty" Hillesum was a Jewish woman whose letters and diaries, kept between 1941 and 1943, describe life in Amsterdam during the German occupation. They were published posthumously in 1981... (wikipedia)

Every day I shall put my papers in order and every day I shall say farewell. And the real farewell, when it comes, will only be a small outward confirmation of what has been accomplished within me from day to day.

Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.

Greed probably figures in my intellectual life as well, as I attempt to absorb a massive amount of information with consequent mental indigestion.

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.

I think what weakens people most is fear of wasting their strength.