--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was 15, not 14, when I was inside there…" description: "\"I was 15, not 14, when I was inside there [Auschwitz], 15, and for me both were actually a surprise.\" — Elie Wiesel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/elie-wiesel-341_auschwitz_i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there_876240.png" --- # I was 15, not 14, when I was inside there \[Auschwitz\], 15… ![“I was 15, not 14, when I was inside there [Auschwitz], 15, and for me both were actually a surprise.” quote by Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/elie-wiesel-341_auschwitz_i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there_876240.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/elie-wiesel-341_auschwitz_i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there_876240.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/elie-wiesel-341_auschwitz_i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there_876240.png) > “I was 15, not 14, when I was inside there \[Auschwitz\], 15, and for me both were actually a surprise.” [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker was surprised by the reality of being in Auschwitz at age fifteen, highlighting the incomprehensible horror. **In simple terms:** Age fifteen in Auschwitz was shocking. Key Takeaway Acknowledge the shock of traumatic experiences. Themes war survival memory Mood somber thoughtful Type historical testimonial When to use this quote - education about the Holocaust - personal reflection on trauma Key Concepts history trauma human rights Questions to Reflect On - What does this surprise reveal about human resilience? - How can we honor such memories responsibly? A Different Perspective Survivor narratives may not capture all aspects of collective suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [14 Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/14-inside-1003960/) [15 Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/15-actually-1003959/) [Auschwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auschwitz/) [Auschwitz 15](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auschwitz-15-1003958/) [Inside Auschwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside-auschwitz-1003957/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) ## Related quotes > [When you think about it, 12:15 p.m. is actually 11:75 a.m.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-think-about-it-12-15-p-m-is-actually-11-75-a-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remember those faces of people who were good I saw that. I saw a father who gave his bread to his son and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-remember-those-faces-of-people-who-were-good-i-saw-that-i-saw-a/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I was convinced that hatred among nations and among people perished in Auschwitz. It didn't. The victims died but the haters are still here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-was-convinced-that-hatred-among-nations-and-among-people-perished/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I come from a very religious background.And actually I remained in it. All my anger I describe in my quarrels with God in Auschwitz,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-come-from-a-very-religious-background-and-actually-i-remained-in-it/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [At Auschwitz, not only man died, but also the idea of man. To live in a world where there is nothing anymore, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/at-auschwitz-not-only-man-died-but-also-the-idea-of-man-to-live-in-a/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I've worked with five Presidents in America, all of them I ask the same question always: Why didn't the American allies bomb the railways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-ve-worked-with-five-presidents-in-america-all-of-them-i-ask-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Sometimes I am asked if I know 'the response to Auschwitz; I answer that not only do I not know it, but that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/sometimes-i-am-asked-if-i-know-the-response-to-auschwitz-i-answer/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [The American and the British armies liberated camps, there wasn't a single order of the day: Let's go and liberate the camp. They stumbled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-american-and-the-british-armies-liberated-camps-there-wasn-t-a/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Perhaps some day someone will explain how, on the level of man, Auschwitz was possible; but on the level of God, it will forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/perhaps-some-day-someone-will-explain-how-on-the-level-of-man/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [The sincere Christian knows that what died in Auschwitz was not the Jewish people but Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-sincere-christian-knows-that-what-died-in-auschwitz-was-not-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [My own interest in Kafka's letter came about when I was writing an article on Peter Ginz, the boy novelist held in Terezin, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/my-own-interest-in-kafka-s-letter-came-about-when-i-was-writing-an/) [Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/) > [“I remember that one Holy Week, the magazine I got every Thursday, Anteojito , came with a free poster depicting the Stations of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcelo-figueras/i-remember-that-one-holy-week-the-magazine-i-got-every-thursday/) [Marcelo Figueras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcelo-figueras/) > [We need creativity. We need more poetry after Auschwitz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithy-panh/we-need-creativity-we-need-more-poetry-after-auschwitz/) [Rithy Panh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithy-panh/) > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Elie Wiesel > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [One more stab to the heart, one more reason to hate. One less reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/one-more-stab-to-the-heart-one-more-reason-to-hate-one-less-reason-to/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/what-all-these-victims-need-above-all-is-to-know-that-they-are-not/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I feel that books, just like people, have a destiny. Some invite sorrow, others joy, some both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-feel-that-books-just-like-people-have-a-destiny-some-invite-sorrow/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [ \[Chinese\] are a huge empire now, you'll soon be - in a few years two billion people in the world. So, you should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/chinese-are-a-huge-empire-now-you-ll-soon-be-in-a-few-years-two/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Did I write it so as not to go mad or, on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/did-i-write-it-so-as-not-to-go-mad-or-on-the-contrary-to-go-mad-in/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Take the story of Cain and Abel. Why were we given that story? Scientifically, you may have an explanation for it, but I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/take-the-story-of-cain-and-abel-why-were-we-given-that-story/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/mankind-must-remember-that-peace-is-not-god-s-gift-to-his-creatures/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [The world? The world is not interested in us. Today, everything is possible, even the crematoria...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-world-the-world-is-not-interested-in-us-today-everything-is/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/every-question-possessed-a-power-that-was-lost-in-the-answer/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/his-cold-eyes-stared-at-me-at-last-he-said-wearily-i-have-more-faith/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [As you know, I describe Shirat ha-Yam as part of an epic story that has qualities of history and which also has qualities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/as-you-know-i-describe-shirat-ha-yam-as-part-of-an-epic-story-that/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Every Jew, somewhere in his being, should set apart a zone of hate -healthy virile hate- for what the German personifies and for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/every-jew-somewhere-in-his-being-should-set-apart-a-zone-of-hate/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Did hope help us to survive, or not? Too many families clung to it all through the war, thus falling into the enemy's trap.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/did-hope-help-us-to-survive-or-not-too-many-families-clung-to-it-all/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) [Explore all 662 Elie Wiesel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## More Auschwitz quotes > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We need creativity. We need more poetry after Auschwitz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithy-panh/we-need-creativity-we-need-more-poetry-after-auschwitz/) [Rithy Panh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithy-panh/) > [“I remember that one Holy Week, the magazine I got every Thursday, Anteojito , came with a free poster depicting the Stations of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcelo-figueras/i-remember-that-one-holy-week-the-magazine-i-got-every-thursday/) [Marcelo Figueras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcelo-figueras/) > [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [My own interest in Kafka's letter came about when I was writing an article on Peter Ginz, the boy novelist held in Terezin, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/my-own-interest-in-kafka-s-letter-came-about-when-i-was-writing-an/) [Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/) > [Eighteen months before I was born, my mother was in Auschwitz. She weighed 49 pounds. She always told me that God saved her so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/eighteen-months-before-i-was-born-my-mother-was-in-auschwitz-she/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [“I am keenly aware that the security we enjoy is frail, and could easily be disrupted. Secretly, a nagging fear gnaws at me: what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-waterman/i-am-keenly-aware-that-the-security-we-enjoy-is-frail-and-could/) [Daniel Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-waterman/) > [There is more to Jewish history than Auschwitz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/there-is-more-to-jewish-history-than-auschwitz/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [“I once conjured up this image of Hitler. I imagined that he didn’t kill himself and that he was kept in a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/i-once-conjured-up-this-image-of-hitler-i-imagined-that-he-didn-t/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“In February, 1943, eight months before she was murdered in Auschwitz, the German painter Charlotte Salomon killed her grandfather. Salomon’s grandparents, like many Jews,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/in-february-1943-eight-months-before-she-was-murdered-in-auschwitz/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [There is no question in my mind that we live in one of the truly bestial centuries in human history. There are plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/there-is-no-question-in-my-mind-that-we-live-in-one-of-the-truly/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [I know that elections must be limited only to those who understand that the Arabs are the deadly enemy of the Jewish state, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meir-kahane/i-know-that-elections-must-be-limited-only-to-those-who-understand/) [Meir Kahane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meir-kahane/) > [“It was, unbelievably, not the most depressing thing we had ever seen: a bride, ripped from her own wedding, separated from her groom, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-was-unbelievably-not-the-most-depressing-thing-we-had-ever-seen-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“He sounded chilly. “I’m sure she is.” Allegra was trying to back off, but she was annoyed that he had taken her father’s part,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/he-sounded-chilly-i-m-sure-she-is-allegra-was-trying-to-back-off-but/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [Auschwitz was one of the wealthiest places in the world. Everyone who was deported there had been in such a hurry that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-lasker-wallfisch/auschwitz-was-one-of-the-wealthiest-places-in-the-world-everyone-who/) [Anita Lasker-Wallfisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-lasker-wallfisch/) [Browse all 168 Auschwitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auschwitz/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was 15, not 14, when I was inside there [Auschwitz], 15, and for me both were actually a surprise.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elie Wiesel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there-auschwitz-15-and-for-me-both/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Auschwitz" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there-auschwitz-15-and-for-me-both/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/elie-wiesel-341_auschwitz_i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there_876240.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/elie-wiesel-341_auschwitz_i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there_876240.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/elie-wiesel-341_auschwitz_i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there_876240.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was 15, not 14, when I was inside there [Auschwitz], 15, and for me both were actually a surprise.” — Elie Wiesel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elie Wiesel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was 15, not 14, when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there-auschwitz-15-and-for-me-both/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-was-15-not-14-when-i-was-inside-there-auschwitz-15-and-for-me-both/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```