black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

It is our experience that political leaders do not always mean the opposite of what they say.

Abba Eban

Nobody does Israel any service by proclaiming its ‘right to exist.’ Israel’s right to exist, like that of the United States, Saudi Arabia and 152 other states, is axiomatic and unreserved.
ABBA EBAN

Country Nobody Proclaiming
Human beings act intelligently only after they have exhausted the alternatives
ABBA EBAN

Alternatives Exhausted Human Intelligent
You can’t achieve anything without getting in someone’s way. You can’t be detached and effective.
ABBA EBAN

Achievement Change Detached Effective Somehow Way
Lest Arab governments be tempted out of sheer routine to rush into impulsive rejection, let me suggest that tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.
ABBA EBAN

Arab Government Impulsive Men Missing Rejection Routine Rush Sheer Tempted
Tragedy is the difference between what is and what could have been.
ABBA EBAN

Could Difference Happen Tragedy
A nation writes its history in the image of its ideal.
ABBA EBAN

Diversity History Ideal Justice Nation Write Writing
Better to be disliked than pitied.
ABBA EBAN

Better Dislike Wish
A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually.
ABBA EBAN

Agrees Belief Collectively Individually Mean Sarcastic
One of the chief tasks of any dialogue with the Gentile world is to prove that the distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is not a distinction at all.
ABBA EBAN

Dialogue Distinction Task World
Consensus is what many people say in chorus but do not believe as individuals.
ABBA EBAN

Belief Believe Chorus Individual People Say
Zionism is nothing more, but also nothing less, than the Jewish People’s sense of origin and destination in the Land linked eternally with its name.
ABBA EBAN

Jewish Land More Nothing People
It is our experience that political leaders do not always mean the opposite of what they say.
ABBA EBAN

Experience Leader Leadership Mean Opposite Political
History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.
ABBA EBAN

Alternative Behave Exhausted Funny History Men Sarcastic Teach War Wise
Israel is not an aviary.
ABBA EBAN

Better
The Jews are the living embodiment of the minority, the constant reminder of what duties societies owe their minorities, whoever they might be.
ABBA EBAN

Constant Embodiment Jews Minority Reminder Society
It [idolatry] nourishes mans ambition to domineer over his fellow man. Idolatry, therefore, is the source of all social and moral evil in the world.
ABBA EBAN

Ambition Domineer Evil Idolatry Man Nourish Social Source

It is our experience that political leaders do not always mean the opposite of what they say.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

It is our experience that political leaders do not always mean the opposite of what they say.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Abba Eban Quotes