--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The opposite of love is not hate, but…" description: "\"The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Indifference creates evil. Hatred is evil itself. Indifference is what allows evil to be strong, wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/elie-wiesel-341_evil_the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-but-ind_1351683.png" --- # The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference… ![“The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Indifference creates evil. Hatred is evil itself. Indifference is what allows evil to be strong, what gives it power.” quote by Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/elie-wiesel-341_evil_the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-but-ind_1351683.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/elie-wiesel-341_evil_the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-but-ind_1351683.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/elie-wiesel-341_evil_the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-but-ind_1351683.png) > “The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Indifference creates evil. Hatred is evil itself. Indifference is what allows evil to be strong, what gives it power.” [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. Argues that indifference, not hate, fuels evil; active concern is needed. **In simple terms:** Indifference allows evil to thrive; hate is a symptom. Key Takeaway Combat apathy with active compassion. Themes ethics humanity indifference Mood somber urgent Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - community service - political activism - education - policy making Key Concepts moral responsibility social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can you act against apathy? - What small steps foster empathy? A Different Perspective Addressing indifference can be overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) ## Related quotes > [The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-it-s-indifference/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The opposite of love is not hate...it's indifference. I wish we all could agree to disagree instead of killing one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-it-s-indifference-i-wish-we-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. If you hate someone, you still care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangfroid-stalker/the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-it-s-indifference-if-you-hate/) [SangFroid Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangfroid-stalker/) > [“People like to say that the opposite of love is not hate but indifference. There tends to be a whispered reverence around the expression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-buxbaum/people-like-to-say-that-the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-but/) [Julie Buxbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-buxbaum/) > [What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-evil-killing-is-evil-lying-is-evil-slandering-is-evil-abuse/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. To be indifferent is to not express love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-it-s-indifference-to-be-indifferent/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [Yes. The opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference. That is why few people find God. They go to church and talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/yes-the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-it-is-indifference-that-is-why/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. And you couldn’t be indifferent to him if your life depended on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-allred/the-opposite-of-love-isn-t-hate-it-s-indifference-and-you-couldn-t-be/) [Katherine Allred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-allred/) > [I remember that my mother once told me that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-remember-that-my-mother-once-told-me-that-the-opposite-of-love-isn/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [She knew with painful certainty that the opposite of love was not hate, but indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/she-knew-with-painful-certainty-that-the-opposite-of-love-was-not/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [“The Opposite of Love is Not Hate. The Opposite of Love is Fear. Be Brave and Choose Love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-dewey/the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-the-opposite-of-love-is-fear-be/) [Laurel Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-dewey/) > [“Hate is not the opposite of Love. It is apathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/hate-is-not-the-opposite-of-love-it-is-apathy/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [“This is the opposite of love, I realize, when I look over and see my empty couch, see right through my imaginary companions. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-buxbaum/this-is-the-opposite-of-love-i-realize-when-i-look-over-and-see-my/) [Julie Buxbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-buxbaum/) > [Indifference is more truly the opposite of love than hate is, for we can both love and hate the same person at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/indifference-is-more-truly-the-opposite-of-love-than-hate-is-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Evil is not the opposite of love; evil is the absence of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-chapman/evil-is-not-the-opposite-of-love-evil-is-the-absence-of-love/) Robert W. Chapman ## 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? 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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 Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. 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