Without free, self-respecting, and autonomous citizens there can be no free and independent nations. Without internal peace, that is, peace among citizens and between the citizens and the state, there can be no guarantee of external peace.

Quote by Vaclav Havel

Topics: Vaclav Havel Quotes

Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that...

Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that...

Isn't it the moment of most profound doubt that gives birth to new certainties? Perhaps...

Isn't it the moment of most profound doubt that gives birth to new certainties? Perhaps...

The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the...

The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the...

Work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to...

Work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to...

Genuine politics -- even politics worthy of the name -- the only politics I am...

Genuine politics -- even politics worthy of the name -- the only politics I am...

Modern man must descend the spiral of his own absurdity to the lowest point; only...

Modern man must descend the spiral of his own absurdity to the lowest point; only...

Lying can never save us from another lie.

Lying can never save us from another lie.

The attempt to devote oneself to literature alone is a most deceptive thing, and often,...

The attempt to devote oneself to literature alone is a most deceptive thing, and often,...

None of us know all the potentialities that slumber in the spirit of the population,...

None of us know all the potentialities that slumber in the spirit of the population,...

When a truth is not given complete freedom, freedom is not complete.

When a truth is not given complete freedom, freedom is not complete.

Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so...

Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so...

Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who...

Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who...

Hope is a feeling that life and work have meaning. You either have it or...

Hope is a feeling that life and work have meaning. You either have it or...

If we are to change our world view, images have to change. The artist now...

If we are to change our world view, images have to change. The artist now...

I really do inhabit a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire...

I really do inhabit a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire...

The deeper the experience of an absence of meaning - in other words, of absurdity...

The deeper the experience of an absence of meaning - in other words, of absurdity...

The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the...

The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the...

I think theatre should always be somewhat suspect.

I think theatre should always be somewhat suspect.

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and...

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and...

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that...

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that...