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Love Quote by Jasmila Žbanić

"The U.N. is a wonderful idea of an institution that unites us all, and I would love to see it stronger, better and more determined"

About this Quote

There’s a filmmaker’s kind of idealism in Žbanić’s phrasing: she calls the U.N. “a wonderful idea” before touching the messier question of whether it actually functions. That split is the tell. “Idea” gives her room to defend the aspiration - a global body that can outgrow borders and grudges - while acknowledging, without naming names, that the current institution often feels like a stage set: impressive architecture, limited leverage.

The line is also a quiet indictment. When someone says they want the U.N. “stronger, better and more determined”, they’re pointing at what’s missing: enforcement power, moral clarity, political courage. “Determined” is the sharpest word here because it implies will, not resources - the problem isn’t only money or bureaucracy, it’s the hesitancy that comes from great-power vetoes, diplomatic cowardice, and the fear of taking sides when sides are already being taken on the ground.

Žbanić’s context matters. As a Bosnian director whose work has wrestled with the aftermath of the 1990s wars, she’s speaking from a region where “international community” can sound like both salvation and bitter punchline. The U.N. is remembered not just as a peacekeeping brand, but as a symbol of promises made and, at crucial moments, not kept. Her sentence walks that tightrope: keep faith with the dream, refuse to excuse the failures. It’s less a civics lesson than a plea from someone who knows that institutions aren’t abstract when your life is the case study.

Quote Details

TopicPeace
SourceInterview with Angelina Jolie, TIME (March 8, 2021), International Women’s Day conversation about Quo Vadis, Aida?
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Žbanić, Jasmila. (2026, February 15). The U.N. is a wonderful idea of an institution that unites us all, and I would love to see it stronger, better and more determined. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-un-is-a-wonderful-idea-of-an-institution-that-185388/

Chicago Style
Žbanić, Jasmila. "The U.N. is a wonderful idea of an institution that unites us all, and I would love to see it stronger, better and more determined." FixQuotes. February 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-un-is-a-wonderful-idea-of-an-institution-that-185388/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The U.N. is a wonderful idea of an institution that unites us all, and I would love to see it stronger, better and more determined." FixQuotes, 15 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-un-is-a-wonderful-idea-of-an-institution-that-185388/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

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About the Author

Jasmila Žbanić

Jasmila Žbanić (born December 19, 1974) is a Director from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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