Society, Justice & Peace: Human Rights Quotes

Similar topics:Equality Freedom Justice Peace War

"It didn't take long for the world to realize that the Shah was an enlightened liberal next to the bloody reactionary regime that followed, and which executed more people in three months than the Shah had done in 30 years"

Alexander Haig, Public Servant

"If they analyze the situation as thoroughly as they should, Muslims will realize they are the first targets. What are the fundamentalists really after? Simply taking over Islam and then turning its back on modernity"

Alexander Haig, Public Servant

"I would like Israel to be a Jewish state, and therefore not to annex over 2 million Palestinians who live in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to Israel, which will make Israel a bi-national state"

Yitzhak Rabin, Statesman

"Government must be a transparent garment which tightly clings to the people's body"

Georg Buchner, Dramatist

"Still, corruption and oppression are far too common threats to the democratic society"

Anna Lindh, Politician

"Poverty does not make people terrorists, but terrorists can exploit the frustration it creates and use it as a breeding-ground for violent ideas"

Anna Lindh, Politician

"Terrorism can never be accepted. We must fight it together, with methods that do not compromise our respect for the rule of law and human rights, or are used as an excuse for others to do so"

Anna Lindh, Politician

"States have the responsibility to create rules and conditions for growth and development, and to channel the benefits to all citizens by providing education and making people able to participate in the economies, and in decision-making"

Anna Lindh, Politician

"Global markets must be balanced by global values such as respect for human rights and international law, democracy, security and sustainable economic and environmental development"

Anna Lindh, Politician

"There is nothing less to our credit than our neglect of the foreigner and his children, unless it be the arrogance most of us betray when we set out to "Americanize" him"

Charles Horton Cooley, Sociologist

"The forgotten world is made up primarily of the developing nations, where most of the people, comprising more than fifty percent of the total world population, live in poverty, with hunger as a constant companion and fear of famine a continual menace"

Norman Borlaug, Scientist

"The destiny of world civilization depends upon providing a decent standard of living for all mankind"

Norman Borlaug, Scientist

"My own views on abortion, I'm not on either pole of that, and neither of the interest groups on either end of this issue would probably be comfortable with my views"

Stephen Harper, Politician

"Improved turnout will give parliament and government the appearance of being more legitimate"

Peter Lynch, Businessman

"And Americans realized that native people are still here, that they have a moral standing, a legal standing"

Dennis Banks, Educator

"Of course, the EU and member states must work to ensure that people moving from one country to another understand their obligations and their rights in areas like health, road safety and further education"

John Bruton, Politician

"There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too long endured that we are not determined to abolish"

Samuel Gompers, Activist

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"

Emma Lazarus, Poet

"The strengthening of our statehood is, at times, deliberately interpreted as authoritarianism"

Vladimir Putin, President

"Russia will not soon become, if it ever becomes, a second copy of the United States or England - where liberal values have deep historic roots"

Vladimir Putin, President

"Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. In fact it is less bilingual today than it has ever been"

Stephen Harper, Politician

"Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society... It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff"

Stephen Harper, Politician

"No references to the need to fight terror can be an argument for restricting human rights"

Vladimir Putin, President

"We don't need a weakened government, but a strong government that would take responsibility for the rights of the individual and care for the society as a whole"

Vladimir Putin, President

"The E.U. is more than just a trade organization or a common market; it is a guarantee of democracy, freedom, justice, and human rights. Nations cannot stay in the E.U. if they do not respect these guarantees"

John Bruton, Politician

"Every vote counts and every vote must be counted"

Barbara Mikulski, Politician

"We don't have access to a national forum that we had in those days, through the news magazines, which were the television news of the time. It's very disturbing to me that we've sort of been pushed to the corners"

Carlisle Floyd, Composer

"Testifying has helped me understand that one individual's behavior and actions make a difference. That my actions are important to people other than myself"

Anita Hill, Professor

"This administration affects the everyday life of the common person"

Al Jourgensen, Musician

"The world must know that America holds to the highest standards of military conduct and human rights protections. Anything less is unacceptable"

Barbara Mikulski, Politician

"The American system of democracy is founded on the concept that every citizen has the right to vote, to know that their vote is counted, and that the vote is counted accurately"

Barbara Mikulski, Politician

"The question I asked Georges has now become a general one - You, who thought you were superfluous, who thought there was no place for you in society, not only are you not superfluous, you are needed, and so those who were beggars become givers"

Abbe Pierre, Priest

"Since the days of slavery, if you were a good singer or dancer, it was your job to perform for the master after dinner"

Spike Lee, Director

"Lawyers should not be charged with the same crimes as their clients. Trials related to political charges are not in accordance with human rights"

Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer

"When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp. The funny thing is that human rights activists and Mr. Bush can never be situated in the same group"

Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer

"It seems to me the most important issue in the LGBT community is the right to be queer-the right to be free of the heterosexual assumption"

Jasmine Guy, Actress

"An activist is one who is actively involved in creating community, whether that is locally in their neighborhood or internationally. It is an admirable quality"

Jasmine Guy, Actress

"I hope the example of Saddam Hussein will give a lesson to leaders of other countries where human rights are not respected"

Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer

"Human rights is a universal standard. It is a component of every religion and every civilization"

Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer

"We must not enable anyone to impose his personal view regarding religion on others by force, oppression, or pressure"

Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer

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