Americans have a severe disease - worse than AIDS. It's called the winner's complex.
Mikhail GorbachevRead
America must be the teacher of democracy, not the advertiser of the consumer society. It is unrealistic for the rest of the world to reach the American living standard.
Interpretation
Gorbachev emphasizes that America should promote democratic values rather than consumerism, highlighting a disparity in living standards.
In this quote, Mikhail Gorbachev argues that the United States has a responsibility to lead by example in promoting democracy rather than merely showcasing its consumer-driven culture. He acknowledges the unrealistic expectations placed on other countries to achieve the same level of material wealth as America, suggesting that the focus should shift from consumerism to fostering democratic principles worldwide.
In practice
This quote can be used in a political speech to emphasize American values in foreign policy.
Americans have a severe disease - worse than AIDS. It's called the winner's complex.
Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal changes in the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep.
The soviet people want full-blooded and unconditional democracy.
To me, nature is sacred. Trees are my temples and forests are my cathedrals.
New approaches are needed, new orientations in both thought and action. We must make the transition to a new civilization...We are talking of a transition toward a new civilization. No one knows what it will be like. What is important is to orient in that direction... I am convinced that a new civilization will inevitably take on certain features that are characteristic of, or inherent in, the socialist ideal.
According to Lenin, socialism and democracy are indivisible.... The essence of perestroika lies in the fact that it unites socialism with democracy and revives the Leninist concept of socialist construction both in theory and in practice. We want more socialism and, therefore, more democracy.
The 1928 Republican Convention opened with a prayer. If the Lord can see His way clear to bless the Republican Party the way it's been carrying on, then the rest of us ought to get it without even asking.
Power is gradually stealing away from the many to the few, because the few are more vigilant and consistent.
The Stamp Act imposed on the colonies by the Parliament of Great Britain is an ill-judged measure. Parliament has no right to put its hands into our pockets without our consent.
One must beware of ministers who can do nothing without money, and those who want to do everything with money.
No measure can be more desirable, whether viewed with an eye to its intrinsic importance, or to the general sentiment and wish of the Nation than to establish a systematic and effectual arrangement for the regular redemption and discharge of the public debt.
Accepting that Arabs have the right to elect their own leaders means accepting the rise of governments that do not share America's pro-Israel militancy.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.