Anne Frank
German-born Jewish diarist whose record of two years in hiding from the Nazis in an Amsterdam annex became one of the most-read first-person documents of the twentieth century and a cornerstone text on conscience, dignity, and the human spirit. Born 1929 in Frankfurt, Anne and her family fled to the Netherlands in 1934; from July 1942 to August 1944 they lived hidden above her father Otto's spice-and-pectin business at Prinsengracht 263. Discovered and arrested, Anne died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in February 1945 at fifteen. Her diary, recovered by Miep Gies and published by Otto in 1947 as Het Achterhuis (The Diary of a Young Girl), has been translated into more than seventy languages and remains among the defining moral testimonies of the modern age. Her sentence 'in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart' is one of the most-quoted lines in any language.
108
quotes in library
Quotes by Anne Frank
108 quotes“The round, clearly defined spot where we stand is still safe, but the clouds gather more closely about us.”
witnessThe Diary of a Young Girl
“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”
kindnessThe Diary of a Young Girl
“Whoever doesn't know it must learn and find by experience that 'a quiet conscience makes one strong!'”
conscienceThe Diary of a Young Girl
“I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out.”
idealsThe Diary of a Young Girl
“It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical.”
idealsThe Diary of a Young Girl
“Boys will be boys, and even women will be women.”
humorThe Diary of a Young Girl
“I've reached the point where I hardly care whether I live or die. The world will keep on turning without me, and I can't do anything to change events anyway.”
surrenderThe Diary of a Young Girl
“I'll just let matters take their course and concentrate on studying and hope that everything will be all right in the end.”
surrenderThe Diary of a Young Girl
“Crying can bring relief, as long as you don't cry alone.”
griefThe Diary of a Young Girl
“I don't want to live in vain. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met.”
serviceThe Diary of a Young Girl
“What one Christian does is his own responsibility, what one Jew does reflects on all Jews.”
justiceThe Diary of a Young Girl
“I have one outstanding trait in my character, which must strike anyone who knows me for any length of time, and that is my knowledge of myself.”
self-knowledgeThe Diary of a Young Girl
“I can watch myself and my actions, just like an outsider.”
self-observationThe Diary of a Young Girl
“The Anne of every day I can face entirely without prejudice, without making excuses for her, watching to see what's good and what's bad about her.”
self-honestyThe Diary of a Young Girl
“This self-consciousness haunts me, and every time I open my mouth I know as soon as I've spoken whether 'that ought to have been said differently.'”
self-consciousnessThe Diary of a Young Girl
“There are so many things about myself that I should like to alter.”
changeThe Diary of a Young Girl
“Who would ever think that so much could go on in the soul of a young girl?”
interiorityThe Diary of a Young Girl
“Nature brings solace in all troubles.”
natureThe Diary of a Young Girl
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside.”
natureThe Diary of a Young Girl
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