Elie Weisel

But during one of our conversations, I did ask a question about the Holocaust. I asked, "What did you learn from your Holocaust experience?"

Two things, he replied. The first thing he learned is not to delay when fighting evil. "Fight evil immediately, " he said. "Don't wait. Don't try to convince yourself that it's going to get better."

And the second thing he learned was this: "Don't let other people tell you what you questions should be. Don't let other people's questions become your questions."

I asked him to explain, and he said, "For example, if somebody says to you, 'Why do you wear that beard?' don't feel that you have an obligation to answer that question. It may not be your question. It's somebody else's question. You don't have to justify yourself to others. Don't let other people's questions become your questions. Don't let others force their questions on you."

~Arthur Kurzweil in On the Road with RS