20th-century Politician Quotes

What hurts Indians most is that our costumes are considered beautiful, but it's as if the person wearing it didn't exist.

Rigoberta Menchú

If you want to sell your vote, go ahead; it's a free country. But be sure you get something for it... You can't get both justice and the two dollars.

On Puerto Rican jíbaros accepting $2 bribes for their votes

Luis Muñoz Marín

There is no comparison between the suicidal terrorism of the desperate and the reasoned terrorism of an overarmed state.

This may be the most bizarre recommendation, but I am sincere. I'm not saying it's not an issue or it's not important, but proportionally speaking, stop complaining about health care... if there was something that we could do about it that were quick or easy, it would be done... There is no solution.

If religious freedom is to endure in America, the responsibility for teaching religion to public school children must be left to the homes and churches of our land, where this responsibility rightfully belongs. It must not be assumed by the government through the agency of the public school system.

Italy as you know is the closest neighbour of both Tunisia and Libya so we are extremely concerned about the repercussions on the migratory situation in the southern Mediterranean.

Franco Frattini

What right does the public have to interfere with my private life? None.

On his parliamentary expenses

Words perturb our powers of reason. The only safe words are our own.

It's hard to make a good theory; a theory has to be reasonable, but a fact doesn't.

People in this country have had enough of experts.

You get to the point in your life where everything isn't black and white and good and bad, and you try to do the right thing. Now, you might not like that. You might think me very cynical about that. Well f—- it; I don't care what you think.

We know what that system [capitalism and colonialism] has meant for us.... And we are not for sale. We are not for sale. And tell them anytime they are willing to deal with an honorable Jamaica built on principle, sovereignty, pride and dignity, then we will talk the investment of the money. But if we are to return to our knees, they can keep the money, we will find another way.

The TNC seems to confuse black people with mercenaries: all blacks are mercenaries. If you do that, which means one-third of the population of Libya, which is black, is also mercenaries. They are killing people, normal workers, you know, mistreating them, invading some embassies like the embassy of Kenya, some embassies in Tripoli.

If you're not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin.

Katherine Harris

The Arabs who were involved in 9/11 cooperated with the Zionists, actually. It was a cooperation. They gave them the perfect excuse to denounce all Arabs.

We are looking at how power sharing takes place within the Constitution.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

It was the first airplane... that could make money just by hauling passengers.

Generosity is part of my character, and I therefore hasten to assure this Government that I will never make an allegation of dishonesty against it wherever a simple explanation of stupidity will suffice.

Leslie Lever, Baron Lever

No other troops in the world but German paratroops could have stood up to such an ordeal and then gone on fighting with such ferocity.

Harold Alexander

Democracy is a means of achieving a higher level of individual and collective gratification, welfare, peace, stability and prosperity. It is not an end in itself! Practitioners of democracy in the Pacific should therefore be pragmatic in their approach. An idealistic and a purist approach is, I believe, misplaced.

Kaliopate Tavola

I see a whole lot. I think, first of all, I think that the world knows that terrorism is not just the United States' problem. And I think that Bush has alienated every friend that we've made over the last 200 years with his arrogance and indifference. And so it makes a lot of sense to me that Kerry, all he has to do is to try to convince people that we've got to deal with the problems in the Middle East. And we just can't have them all down to Crawford Ranch and say everything is going great... It was Rumsfeld who said that we're creating more terrorists than we're killing. And we need a president to restore the honesty, the integrity that the United States of America has abroad.

Charles B. Rangel

Nurses, as the key health professionals, are in a unique position to act as powerful advocates for a healthy planet.... As nurses and midwives already constitute up to 80% of the qualified health workforce in most national health systems, they represent a potentially powerful force for bringing about the necessary changes to meet the needs of Health for All in the 21st century. Indeed, their contribution to health services covers the whole spectrum of health care... It is clear that nurses are the backbone of most health care teams.

Gro Harlem Brundtland

What is the cost of the pride of the nation? The number does not mean anything as long as we buy the plane, maintain it and look after the welfare of our people.

The war against terrorism will not be finished as long as he [Saddam Hussein] is in power.

I decided the worst thing you can call Paul Keating, quite frankly, is Paul Keating.