As life becomes harder and more threatening, it also becomes richer, because the fewer expectations we have, the more good things of life become unexpected gifts that we accept with gratitude. — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
Every word born of an inner necessity - writing must never be anything else. — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything. — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island. — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
The externals are simply so many props; everything we need is within us. — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well. — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour.… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths. — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. Only if we become… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
Sometimes my day is crammed full of people and talk and yet I have the feeling of living in utter peace and quiet. And… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. We make mental provisions… — Etty Hillesum Copy Share Image
