Nobody in Europe will be abandoned. Nobody in Europe will be excluded. Europe only succeeds if we work together.
Angela MerkelRead
At the beginning of the 60's our country called the foreign workers to come to Germany and now they live in our country. We kidded ourselves a while, we said: 'They won't stay, sometime they will be gone.' But this isn't reality.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the long-term presence of foreign workers in Germany, challenging the initial belief that they would not settle permanently.
Angela Merkel's quote highlights the shift in perception regarding foreign workers who were invited to Germany during the 1960s. Initially seen as temporary visitors, the reality is that many have established themselves and become an integral part of the society, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and embracing this change rather than clinging to outdated beliefs.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of diversity in the workplace, one might quote Merkel to underline the lasting contributions of immigrants.
Nobody in Europe will be abandoned. Nobody in Europe will be excluded. Europe only succeeds if we work together.
Let us answer the terrorists by living our values with courage.
It certainly is dangerous that there are only a few clubs left in Europe that can afford to pay millions. At the end of the day however, the spectators decide the rates of pay - by watching the games and consuming the goods and services advertised on sports TV programmes.
In many regions, war and terror prevail. States disintegrate. For many years, we have read about this. We have heard about it. We have seen it on TV. But we had not yet sufficiently understood that what happens in Aleppo and Mosul can affect Essen or Stuttgart. We have to face that now.
We need... to say to people that this is a temporary residential status, and we expect that, once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained.
During the course of 1989, more and more East Germans lost their fears of the state's repression and chicanery and went out on the streets. There was no turning back then. It is thanks to their courage the Wall was opened.
President Kennedy's election was such an enlargement. It expanded religious freedom to include the highest office in the land. President Kennedy's administration was such an enlargement. It advanced the day when the bars of intolerance against all minority groups will be lifted, not only for the presidency, but for all aspects of our national life.
I am excited to have a black president because white supremacy is real and it needs to be shattered.
If you see that some aspect of your society is bad, and you want to improve it, there is only one way to do so: you have to improve people. And in order to improve people, you begin with only ONE thing: you can become better yourself.
One of the most predictable things in life is there will be change. You are better off if you can have a say in the change. But you are ignorant or naive if you don't think there will be change, whether you want it to or not.
In 1970, as a 26 year-old, I joined in the effort in my home state of Massachusetts to organize for Earth Day. But what made the event so successful was that I was only one of about 20 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds who got involved.
We have the chance to build this new energy economy in ways that reflect our deepest values of inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity for everyone.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.