If nationalism makes us poor, weak, and morally insecure, how can it claim to be patriotic? I maintain that nationalists are unpatriotic.
I'm just one generation between someone who cheered when Germans were burning and someone who doesn't even know that there is a border. That's a miracle - really is a miracle - and it gets me really emotional.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the dramatic changes in societal perspectives across generations, highlighting the progress made since a time of intolerance.
Frans Timmermans' quote underscores the profound shifts that can occur within a single generation, illustrating how attitudes towards nationality, conflict, and humanity can evolve. The speaker expresses a sense of awe and gratitude for living in a time where boundaries and biases are less prominent, contrasting it with a past marked by hatred and division. This realization not only evokes strong emotions but signifies the importance of recognizing and celebrating progress in societal values.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about unity and understanding, you could use this quote to highlight the progress society has made.
More from Frans Timmermans
All quotes →Similar quotes
I couldn't have imagined that I would live long enough to see Egypt emancipated from decades of repression.
When we clean up after ourselves, we have nothing to blame. When we begin to live our lives in that way, cleaning up after ourselves, what is left is further vision and further openness, which leads to cleaning up the rest of the world.
Nothing is static. Even the Mona Lisa is falling apart. Since fight club, I can wiggle half the teeth in my jaw. Maybe self-improvement isn't the answer. Maybe self-destruction is the answer.
You know how I always believe in the future. Without disorder, the revolution is impossible; knowing that, I did not lose hope, and I do not lose it now.
There is a great need for the introduction of new values in our society, where bigger is not necessarily better, where slower can be faster, and where less can be more.
The wind of change is blowing through the continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.