Anne Frank was a bright and hopeful beacon of a truly dark era. In her diary, which is now famous, she expressed a belief in the power of her own spirit and the goodness of human beings, even as atrocities took place around her.
Anne’s family was Jewish, and they went into hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in 1942. The Franks and several others spent two years living in a small annex behind the business of Anne’s father, Otto, and Anne chronicled this experience in a journal. As a teenage girl who experienced unimaginable challenges, she shared not only personal fears and family stresses in her diary, but also her rich courage and enduring faith. She was tenacious, eloquent, and hopeful.
In 1944, the Franks were discovered. Anne, her mother Edith, and her older sister Margo died soon after in concentration camps — only Otto survived the Holocaust that killed 6 million people before World War II came to an end in 1945. With Otto’s help, Anne’s memoir was later published as Diary of a Young Girl. The book is now a revered document that has been translated into almost 70 languages. In 1960, the Franks’ hiding place became the Anne Frank House museum. Few historical records continue to hold as much emotion and meaning as young Anne’s writing, as is evident in these 13 poignant quotes.
In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.
Whoever is happy will make others happy.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
[In] spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.
Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.
I know what I want, I have a goal, an opinion, I have a religion and love. Let me be myself, and, then, I am satisfied.
I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better; that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.
Who would ever think that so much went on in the soul of a young girl?
Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!
I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.
What is done cannot be undone but one can prevent it happening again.
I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met.
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.
Photo credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
