Quotes from Anne Frank

la gente no se la conoce bien hasta que no se ha tenido una verdadera pelea con ella.

Tampoco en el futuro le tendré miedo a la verdad, puesto que cuanto más se la pospone, tanto más difícil es enfrentarla.

Is it really such an admirable trait not to let myself be influenced by others? Am I right in following my own conscience? To be honest, I can't imagine how anyone could say "I'm weak" and then stay that way. If you know that about yourself, why not fight it, why not develop your character? Their answer has always been: "Because it's much easier not to!

He said life would have been much easier if he'd been a Christian or could become one after the war. I asked if he wanted to be baptized, but that wasn't what he meant either. He said he'd never be able to feel like a Christian, but that after the war he'd make sure nobody would know he was Jewish.

Can you tell me why people go to such lengths to hide their real selves? Or why I always behave very differently when I'm in the company of others? Why do people have so little trust in one another? I know there must be a reason, but sometimes I think it's horrible that you can't ever confide in anyone, not even those closest to you.

Nine o'clock in the evening.

Y ahí está justamente el quid de la cuestión. Tal vez la falta de confidencialidad sea culpa mía, el asunto es que las cosas son como son y lamentablemente no se pueden cambiar.

A la gente no se la conoce bien hasta que no se ha tenido una verdadera pelea con ella. Sólo entonces puede uno juzgar el carácter que tienen.

Sometimes old people have really old-fashioned ideas, but that doesn't mean I have to go along with them. I need my grandparents, but in a certain sense they need me too.

want the diary to be my friend, and I'm going to call this friend Kitty.

Es que la gente corriente no sabe lo que significa un libro para un escondido.

There's a saying: "Time heals all wounds.

person who's happy will make others happy; a person who has courage and faith will never die in misery!

But there's the catch. I'd like to live that seemingly carefree and happy life for an evening, a few days, a week. At the end of that week I'd be exhausted, and would be grateful to the first person to talk to me about something meaningful. I want friends, not admirers. People who respect me for my character and my deeds, not my flattering smile. The circle around me would be much smaller, but what does that matter, as long as they're sincere?

The Knock at the Door by Ina Boudier-Bakker.

All college students are being asked to sign an official statement to the effect that they "sympathize with the Germans and approve of the New Order." Eighty percent have decided to obey the dictates of their conscience, but the penalty will be severe. Any student refusing to sign will be sent to a German labor camp. What's to become of the youth of our country if they've all got to do hard labor in Germany?

No matter how poor one is, one can still give others riches

At such moments I don't think about all the misery, but about the beauty that still remains. This is where Mother and I differ greatly. Her advice in the face of melancholy is: Think about all the suffering in the world and be thankful you're not part of it. My advice is: Go outside, to the country, enjoy the sun and all nature has to offer. Go outside and try to recapture the happiness within yourself; think of all the beauty in yourself and in everything around you and be happy.

I strip the bed as fast as I can so I won't be tempted to get back in. Do you know what Mother calls this sort of thing? The art of living. Isn't that a funny expression?

Sometimes I think God is trying to test me, both now and in the future. I'll have to become a good person on my own, without anyone to serve as a model or advise me, but it'll make me stronger in the end.

I mean that most people, married or single, stand inwardly alone

but wait till it happens to you! The ack-ack guns make so much noise you can't hear your own voice.

Mientras exista este sol y este cielo tan despejado, y pueda yo verlo —pensé—, no podré estar triste.» Para todo el que tiene miedo, está solo o se siente desdichado, el mejor remedio es salir al aire libre, a algún sitio en donde poder estar totalmente solo, solo con el cielo, con la naturaleza y con Dios.

Oh, it's so hard, the eternal struggle between heart and mind. There's a time and a place for both, but how can I be sure that I've chosen the right time?