On 27 January every year, it is Holocaust Memorial Day.

It’s a day for everyone to remember the millions of people who were killed, or whose lives have been changed, by an event in history called the Holocaust.

On this day we also remember the millions of people who were killed or have been affected by Nazi persecution and terrible crimes committed during conflicts in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

A young girl whose tragic tale from WWII became a story of hope is Anne Frank. I first came upon her diary as a teenager in high school and ever since then her story and amazing strength in character continue to move me. I never miss the opportunity to share her story and quotes in the classroom as her reamarkable spirit in the most trying of times should never be forgotten!

Over the years I have enjoyed the following versions of her story and of course a visit to the Secret Annex, The Anne Frank House Museum :

• I’ve found that there is always some beauty left—in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.
• I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.
• People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn’t stop you from having your own opinion.
• How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
• In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.
• Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.
• Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.
• You can be lonely even when you are loved by many people, since you are still not anybody’s one and only.
• I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.
• It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.