Nobody in Europe will be abandoned. Nobody in Europe will be excluded. Europe only succeeds if we work together.
Angela MerkelRead
I think the political class in Berlin doesn't need to be supervised and monitored by intelligence services in order to find out what they're thinking. Just go to lunch with them, go to dinner with them, or read the papers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Political leaders' thoughts and intentions can often be understood through casual interactions and public discourse rather than through surveillance.
In this quote, Angela Merkel emphasizes the importance of direct engagement and transparency in political discourse. She suggests that rather than relying on intelligence services to gauge the thoughts and intentions of political leaders, one can simply engage with them in everyday situations, such as sharing a meal or reading their public statements. This highlights the need for open communication and the idea that understanding leaders requires less secrecy and more direct observation.
Themes
PoliticsTransparencyCommunicationEngagementLeaders
In practice
Example use cases
In a political science class discussing the importance of direct engagement in politics.
More from Angela Merkel
All quotes →Let us answer the terrorists by living our values with courage.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Angela MerkelRead
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