If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know that the violence will be in the thought and the action of the assassins, not in my dying.
Indira GandhiRead
One must beware of ministers who can do nothing without money, and those who want to do everything with money.
Interpretation
The quote warns against politicians who are overly dependent on money for action or who see money as a solution to all problems.
Indira Gandhi's quote highlights the dangers of politicians who are powerless without financial backing and those who equate wealth with the ability to solve every issue. It serves as a cautionary reminder to critically evaluate the motivations and capabilities of leaders who prioritize money over integrity and genuine service.
In practice
During a political debate, this quote can be used to challenge the influence of campaign financing.
If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know that the violence will be in the thought and the action of the assassins, not in my dying.
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
All my games were political games; I was, like Joan of Arc, perpetually being burned at the stake.
The power to question is the basis of all human progress.
My father was a statesman, I'm a political woman. My father was a saint. I'm not.
People with clenched fists can not shake hands.
You might be tempted to think that China has a Streisand-effect problem, in which trying to censor an event creates even more publicity. But that assumes the Chinese government doesn't understand the Streisand effect, and that can't be right, because if one government understands attention dynamics online, it's China's.
I think our democracy has it exactly right: two terms, eight years. It's enough. Because it's important to have one foot in reality when you have access to this kind of power.
The government should not be guided by Temporary Excitement, but by Sober Second Thought.
While democracy must have its organizations and controls, its vital breath is individual liberty.
In the 1990s, we were certain that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear arsenal. In fact, his factories could barely make soap.
From horrific incidents of police brutality and complicity in indiscriminate attacks by triads on citizens to arbitrary mass arrests and the banning of demonstrations, the government has employed nearly every weapon in its war chest to intimidate Hong Kongers into silence and to suppress their popular struggle for democracy and freedom.
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