The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.
David Ben-GurionRead
We offer peace and neighborliness to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Hebrew nation for the common good of all.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of peace, cooperation, and communal benefit among nations.
David Ben-Gurion's quote advocates for a peaceful coexistence and collaborative efforts with neighboring nations for mutual benefit. It reflects a commitment to diplomacy and unity among diverse peoples, proposing that the independent Hebrew nation seeks to contribute positively to regional relationships and the welfare of all involved.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about international relations.
The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.
Without moral and intellectual independence, there is no anchor for national independence.
Anyone who believes you can't change history has never tried to write his memoirs.
Those who today murdered our people in an ambush not only plotted to murder some Jews but intended to provoke us... The Arabs stand to gain from such a development. They want the country to be in a state of perpetual pogrom.... Any further bloodshed [by the Jews] will only bring political advantage to the Arabs and harm us... Our strength is in the defense... and this strength will give us political victory if England and the world will know that we are defending ourselves rather than attacking.
After eighty, there are no enemies, only survivors.
We do not want to create a situation like that which exists in South Africa, where the whites are the owners and rulers, and the blacks are the workers. If we do not do all kinds of work, easy and hard, skilled and unskilled, if we become merely landlords, then this will not be our homeland
Is despair wrong? Isnβt it the natural condition of life after a certain age? β¦ After a number of events, what is there left but repetition and diminishment? Who wants to go on living? The eccentric, the religious, the artistic (sometimes); those with a false sense of their own worth. Soft cheeses collapse; firm cheeses endurate. Both go mouldy.
The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become.
One must not cheat anyone, not even the world of its victory.
The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not.
All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand! Oh, oh, oh!
Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth; it should give birth to spirituality, and bring light and life to every soul. If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it would be better to be without it... Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.
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