I’m not Candide, nor Dr Pangloss, but we know that faith moves mountains.

By invoking Candide and Dr. Pangloss—Voltaire’s emblematic figures of naïve optimism and doctrinaire “all is for the best” rationalization—Libeskind distances himself from a complacent, philosophical cheerfulness. The second clause pivots to a different kind of hope: not Panglossian certainty, but faith understood as a motivating force that enables action against daunting realities. In Libeskind’s architectural and cultural register, the line reads as a defense of committed belief (ethical, civic, or spiritual) as something that can translate into tangible change—“moving mountains” as a metaphor for overcoming historical trauma, political obstacles, or the sheer difficulty of building meaningful public works.