Books in Retrospect #1

“… People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but it doesn’t stop you from having your own opinion… Women should be respected as well… I’ve found that there is always some beauty left – in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you… What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it from happening again… No one has ever become poor by giving… Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands… How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world…

It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart…

In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit… Those who have courage and faith shall never perish in misery… The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be or how much you can love, what you can accomplish and what your potentials are… Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude… “

~ The Diary of Anne Frank

Your realizations as a 13-year adolescent going through the worst possible horror in the world have been such wise reminders to me since 15 years of age when I first read your diary. The tragic irony being that 15 years is just as much as you got of one lifetime.

I cannot imagine how anyone can say: ‘I’m weak’, and then remain so. After all, if you know it, why not fight against it, why not try to train your character? Whoever doesn’t know it must learn and find by experience that ‘a quiet conscience makes one strong!’

I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out.

~ the diary of anne frank

Thank you for sharing your introspections without the slightest possible hope of them ever being read. Thank you for showing the strength of words, the power of writing your story, and the courage one quiet voice can offer to anyone who seeks inspiration.

Thank you for showing that faith, hope and righteous efforts are always a choice, no matter the circumstances.

How can you ever learn to give up in life when you can read such words of courage and hope being written even throughout one of the most horrific of times in the history of humanity?

The Diary of Anne Frank is definitely a must-read, if you haven’t already!