Daily Inspiration Quote by Iyad Allawi

A sentence this bare is doing heavy political lifting. “These are facts, these are not imaginary things” is less a clarification than a counteroffensive: the kind of line a statesman reaches for when the argument has stopped being about evidence and started being about legitimacy. Iyad Allawi, a figure shaped by Iraq’s post-2003 turbulence and the constant churn of competing narratives, uses repetition like a gavel. “These are” twice, as if he’s trying to pin a skittish reality to the table before it slips back into rumor, propaganda, or sectarian storytelling.

The phrasing is tellingly defensive. No one asserts “not imaginary” unless they feel reality has been actively disputed, rebranded, or drowned out. “Imaginary things” is almost child-simple, which is exactly the point: it frames opponents not as people with different interpretations, but as people indulging in fantasy. That rhetorical move lowers the burden of persuasion. If the other side is hallucinating, you don’t need to debate; you need to diagnose.

Allawi’s intent is to claim the adult position in a room full of opportunists: the one anchored to “facts” while others spin. The subtext is anxiety about the fragility of truth in a crisis environment where information is weaponized and credibility is currency. The line works because it’s blunt enough to travel on TV and strong enough to signal authority, even when the audience can’t independently verify the “facts” being invoked. It’s a plea for trust disguised as a verdict.