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As a rule, dictatorships guarantee safe streets and terror of the doorbell. In democracy the streets may be unsafe after dark, but the most likely visitor in the early hours will be the milkman.

Adam Michnik

Do you believe in an open society? Then act in the open. Do you believe in a decent and humane society? Then behave decently and humanely.
ADAM MICHNIK

Act Believe Decently Humane Humanely Open Society
Today we reject the notion of equality between a regime that belongs to the democratic world – even if it is conservative and disagreeable – and a totalitarian dictatorship, whether its colors are black, red, or green.
ADAM MICHNIK

Black Color Democratic Equality Notion Reject World
Politics and ethics belong to different worlds.
ADAM MICHNIK

Different Ethics Politics World
America needed our help, and we had to give it.
ADAM MICHNIK

Country Giving Help Needed
A part of society in our countries would still prefer an authoritarian regime today. These are people with the mentality of Homo sovieticus. But they also exist in France – just think of Le Pen – and even in Finland and Sweden.
ADAM MICHNIK

Authoritarian Country People Prefer Regime Society Thinking Today
Demagoguery and populism are rampant. We are the illegitimate children, the bastards of communism. It shaped our mentality.
ADAM MICHNIK

Bastard Children Communism Demagoguery Illegitimate Mentality Populism Shape
Poland is an ally of the United States of America. It was our duty to show that we are a reliable, loyal, and predictable ally.
ADAM MICHNIK

Ally Country Duty Giving Loyal Prectiable Reliable Show United States
We lack a political culture, a culture of compromise. We in Poland, as well as the Hungarians, have never learned this sort of thing.
ADAM MICHNIK

Children Compromise Country Cultural Lack Political Strong
Sometimes the type of person from the old machine, who is everything but an appealing figure, happens to win an election. But democracy applies to everyone, not just the noble and the clever.
ADAM MICHNIK

Appealing Apply Clever Democracy Election Figure Machine Noble Old Person Sometimes
Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Arabs can be elected to the parliament in a democratic election.
ADAM MICHNIK

Country Democratic East Elected Election Middle Parliament
Kaczynski appointed a judge to the position of deputy justice minister who had once sentenced current President Bronislaw Komorowski to a prison term.
ADAM MICHNIK

Appointment Current Deputy Justice Kaczynski Minister People Position President Prison Sentenced
I can’t remember any text of mine where I said that one should fight Hitler without violence; I’m not an idiot.
ADAM MICHNIK

Fight Fighting Hitler Idiot Mine Remember Text Violence
Even though we are not sure of the links, Iraq was one of the countries that did not lower its flags in mourning on 9/11.
ADAM MICHNIK

Country Flag Link Lower Mourning Sure Thought War
After the fall of communism in Poland, we had a post-communist as president for two terms: Aleksander Kwasniewski. He was very good. He brought Poland into NATO and the European Union.
ADAM MICHNIK

Communism Communist Country Fall Judging Justice President Term
France can never accept that it is no longer a dominating power in the world of culture. This is true both of the French right and the French left. They keep thinking that Americans are primitive cowboys or farmers who do not understand anything.
ADAM MICHNIK

Accept Country Cowboy Culture Domination Longer Power Thinking World
I think it’s always dangerous to make political arguments in a religiously ideological way. And it’s very dangerous to treat as traitors to the American nation those who think differently.
ADAM MICHNIK

Argument Dangerous Ideological Political Religiously Thinking Way

As a rule, dictatorships guarantee safe streets and terror of the doorbell. In democracy the streets may be unsafe after dark, but the most likely visitor in the early hours will be the milkman.

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As a rule, dictatorships guarantee safe streets and terror of the doorbell. In democracy the streets may be unsafe after dark, but the most likely visitor in the early hours will be the milkman.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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