There is never a humanitarian solution for a humanitarian crisis. The solutions for the humanitarian crisis are always political ones.
When two people are together, they are not two but six: what each one is, what each one thinks he or she is, and what each one thinks the other is. And what is true for people is also true for countries and organisations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the complexity of interpersonal relationships, highlighting that each person brings multiple perspectives to a relationship.
Antonio Guterres' quote illustrates that when people interact, they don't simply merge their identities; rather, multiple perceptions and interpretations come into play. Each person's self-view, their view of the other, and the layers of their interaction create a rich, multifaceted dynamic, both in personal relationships and in broader contexts like nations and organizations. This complexity requires understanding and empathy to navigate effectively.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on team dynamics, this quote can illustrate the complexity of collaboration.
More from Antonio Guterres
All quotes →As a global society, we have the technology, resources and the know-how to make a massive difference to living standards everywhere, including for refugees.
The world's problems transcend borders.
Humanitarian response, sustainable development, and sustaining peace are three sides of the same triangle.
The fact that societies are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious is good. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness.
Syria has become the great tragedy of this century - a disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history.
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I will only add, God bless you.
Meditate or spend silent time in nature with your partner. When going for a walk or sitting in the car or at home, become comfortable with being in stillness together. Stillness cannot and need not be created. Just be receptive to the stillness that is already there, but is usually obscured by mental noise.
We have the idea that our hearts, once broken, scar over with an indestructible tissue that prevents their ever breaking again in quite the same place.
Most men fear getting laughed at or humiliated by a romantic prospect while most women fear rape and death.
Let him be great, and love shall follow him. Nothing is more deeply punished than the neglect of the affinities by which alone society should be formed, and the insane levity of choosing associates by others eyes.
In fact, people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violence rather than anything else. So it's important that we not stereotype folks with mental illness.