Darkness must fall before we are aware of the majesty of the stars above our heads.

Stefan Zweig, 1881-1942

For it’s always that way with the sacred value of life. We forget it as long as it belongs to us, and give it as little attention during the unconcerned hours of our life as we do the stars in the light of day.

Darkness must fall before we are aware of the majesty of the stars above our heads. It was necessary for this dark hour to fall, perhaps the darkest in history, to make us realize that freedom is as vital to our soul as breathing to our body.

From ‘At This Dark Hour’, a speech given by Stefan Zweig to the US PEN Club in New York, May 1941

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