The action we take and the decisions we make in this decade will have consequences far into this century. If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch.
George W. BushRead
Any government that supports, protects or harbours terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Governments that aid or shelter terrorists share the blame for their actions against innocent people.
This quote expresses the idea that when a government offers support or protection to terrorist groups, it not only condones their violent acts but also becomes morally and ethically responsible for the resulting loss of innocent lives. It underscores the gravity of complicity in terrorism, emphasizing that governments must be held accountable for their engagements with those who commit violence against civilians.
Themes
TerrorismGovernmentInnocenceComplicityResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
In discussions about international relations when addressing the responsibilities of inaction against terrorism.
More from George W. Bush
All quotes βThousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.
George W. BushRead
Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended.
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Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people.
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Adoption was such a positive alternative to abortion, a way to save one life and brighten two more: those of the adoptive parents.
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We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind before. They are the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions - by abandoning every value except the will to power - they follow in the path of fascism, and Nazism, and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way, to where it ends: in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies.
George W. BushRead
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