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You can’t achieve anything without getting in someone’s way. You can’t be detached and effective.

Abba Eban

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
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
Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
ABBA EBAN

Miss Missing never Opportunity Palestinian
I think that this is the first war in history that on the morrow the victors sued for peace and the vanquished called for unconditional surrender.
ABBA EBAN

History Love Peace Sued Thinking Unconditional Victor War
Salvation, the prophets tell us, is preconditioned by repentance. The redeeming act of God waits upon man’s initiative.
ABBA EBAN

God Initiative Men Prophet Salvation Waiting
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
Tragedy is the difference between what is and what could have been.
ABBA EBAN

Could Difference Happen Tragedy
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
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
Better to be disliked than pitied.
ABBA EBAN

Better Dislike Wish
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
Our intention to regard the closing of the Straits as a casus belli was communicated…to the foreign ministers of those states which had supported international navigation in the Straits in 1957 and thereafter.
ABBA EBAN

Cairo Closing Communicate Doubt Foreign Intention Minister Regard State Strait War
A statesman who keeps his ear permanently glued to the ground will have neither elegance of posture nor flexibility of movement.
ABBA EBAN

Ear Elegance Glued Movement Neither Permanently Posture Statesman
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
A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually.
ABBA EBAN

Agrees Belief Collectively Individually Mean Sarcastic
Tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.
ABBA EBAN

Men Missing Suffering Tragedy

You can’t achieve anything without getting in someone’s way. You can’t be detached and effective.

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You can’t achieve anything without getting in someone’s way. You can’t be detached and effective.

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