Natan Sharansky Quotes
-
Free societies are societies in which the right of dissent is protected.
→ -
I was inspired to write this book by those who are sceptical of the power of freedom to change the world.
→ -
My optimism is not based primarily on the successful march of democracy in recent times but rather is based on the experience of having lived in a fear society and studied the mechanics of tyranny that sustain such a society.
→ -
A simple way to determine whether the right to dissent in a particular society is being upheld is to apply the town square test: Can a person walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm? If he can, then that person is living in a free society. If not, it's a fear society.
→ -
Those who warned that Gorbachev was being put under too much pressure were wrong.
→ -
Japan is not a Western democracy. The Japanese have kept their traditions, culture and heritage, but they have joined the community of free nations.
→ -
When a man is afraid and accedes to fear, he will always find arguments to justify his own surrender.
→ -
People may believe that there can be a society where dissent is not permitted, but which is nonetheless not a fear society because everyone agrees with one another and therefore no one wants to dissent.
→ -
This scepticism is the same scepticism I heard a generation ago in the USSR when few thought that a democratic transformation behind the iron curtain was possible.
→ -
In dictatorships you need courage to fight evil; in the free world you need courage to see evil.
→ -
My theory is that security - also against terror - can only be accomplished through global democratization.
→ -
The message of the free world to any potential Palestinian leadership should be a simple one: Embrace democratic reform and we will embrace you.
→ -
When we are unwilling to draw clear moral lines between free societies and fear societies, when we are unwilling to call the former good and the latter evil, we will not be able to advance the cause of peace because peace cannot be disconnected from freedom.
→ -
Just as the 99% of Soviet citizens who supported the Soviet regime in 1985 was no indication of what the people inside the USSR really thought, the army of true believers that we think we see in the Arab world is an illusion.
→ -
Free nations generally look for ways to deal with dictators amicably.
→ -
I am optimistic that peace can be achieved in the region because I believe that every society on earth can be free and that if freedom comes to the Middle East, there can be peace.
→ -
Bush explained his fundamental concept to me, that freedom is not an American invention, but rather a gift from God to all people.
→ -
Unfortunately, little attention was paid to how Arafat ruled. In fact, some saw the harsh and repressive nature of Arafat's regime as actually bolstering the prospects for peace.
→ -
The central premise behind Oslo was that if Arafat were given enough legitimacy, territory, weapons and money, he would use his power to fight terror and make peace with Israel.
→ -
On the other hand, if the free world is concerned with how a new Palestinian leader governs, then the peace process will have a real chance to succeed.
→ -
Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society.
→ -
To go again over the history of the struggle of resistance ... and to think 'Where are all these people today Where is the KGB' is very inspiring
→ -
It is important to remember that some of the most serious thinkers once thought that democracy was not compatible with the cultures of Germany, Italy, Japan, Latin America and Russia.
→ -
I have no doubt that given a real choice, the vast majority of Muslims and Arabs, like everyone else will choose a free society over a fear society.
→ -
By focusing once and for all on helping the Palestinians build a free society, I have no doubt that an historic compromise between Israelis and Palestinians can be reached and that peace can prevail.
→ -
Democratic leaders, whose power is ultimately dependent on popular support, are held accountable for failing to improve the lives of their citizens. Therefore, they have a powerful incentive to keep their societies peaceful and prosperous.
→ -
Imagine if the United States, in its war against Hitler, had said to Stalin: we don't want your support until you make your country democratic.
→ -
The only peace that can be made with a dictator is once that must be based on deterrence. For today, the dictator may be your friend, but tomorrow he will need you as an enemy.
→ -
If you have to fight an enemy at a critical point in time, and you have an ally who happens to be a dictator, you don't say: Let's stop fighting right now, because you're not a democrat. That would be ridiculous.
→ -
When did America forget that it's America?
→
Related Authors
-
Shimon Peres President of Israel -
Reuven Rivlin President of Israel -
Malala Yousafzai Journalist -
Yuri Orlov Professor, physicist, human rights activist -
Andrei Sakharov Nuclear Physicist, Human Rights Activist -
Ron Dermer Consultant -
Mikhail Gorbachev Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union -
Silvan Shalom National Infrastructure Minister of Israel -
Naftali Bennett Religious Services Minister of Israel -
Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister of Israel -
Leonid Brezhnev Former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union -
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Novelist -
Alan Dershowitz Lawyer -
Boris Pasternak Poet -
David Bezmozgis Writer -
Avigdor Lieberman Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel -
Yitzhak Shamir Former Prime Minister of Israel -
Menachem Begin Former Prime Minister of Israel -
Ariel Sharon Former Prime Minister of Israel -
Boris Yeltsin Former Russian President