Dutch Politician Quotes

William III

William the Silent

Geert Wilders

Pim Fortuyn

Abraham Kuyper

Wim Kok

Peter Stuyvesant

'Do you not see your country is lost?' asked the Duke of Buckingham. 'There is one way never to see it lost' replied William, 'and that is to die in the last ditch.'

If you commit a crime, if you start thinking about jihad and sharia, then there is only one solution: we will send you away the very same day, then you can pack your bags and we will take away your [Dutch] nationality.

All kinds of separate, fragmented portions of the jigsaw puzzle are of little avail, unless they are fitted together in the best possible way, to form an image of the future depicting a number of main areas of development.

My legal wife is to me dead; the only ecclesiastical authority I recognise pronounces me free; the attacks and threats of men do not disturb me. I am acting according to a clear conscience, and am doing hurt to no man. For my conduct, I will answer to my maker.

William the Silent

'As far as I know, pornography is the only working medicine against seasickness.'

The sovereignty of the state as the power that protects the individual and that defines the mutual relationships among the visible spheres, rises high above them by its right to command and compel. But within these spheres... another authority rules, an authority that descends directly from God apart from the state. This authority the state does not confer but acknowledges.

Faith and repentance are as much benefits of the covenant of grace as justification.... faith and repentance themselves.... are components of the gospel, not the workings or fruits of the law.

I am not left winged, I am not right winged. I am straight forward.

I'm not anti-Muslim, I'm not anti-immigration; I'm saying we've got big problems in our cities. It's not very smart to make the problem bigger by letting in millions more immigrants from rural Muslim cultures that don't assimilate.

Art enriches itself by eliminating artificial barriers between people such as borders between countries.

Nothing is of greater importance than the right early instruction of youth.

Peter Stuyvesant

The Netherlands are a sociable land with respect for each others. We fight each others with words, not with bullets.

In a radical democracy in which everybody should be able to co-decide, not everyone meets the [criteria of] competence, preparedness to serve the common interest and economic independence. That's why this form should be rejected. Every four years, the citizen can give his judgement on government policy in all openness, and in this manner have influence. For this, it is necessary however that the citizen is well informed. That is a task of the government.

Frits Bolkestein

Those who are fleeing war and violence are entitled to protection and shelter. [...] We want to govern, but not at any price. We want to create change. And to always continue seeing the people behind the policy.