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Tragedy is the difference between what is and what could have been.

Abba Eban

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
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
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
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
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
A nation writes its history in the image of its ideal.
ABBA EBAN

Diversity History Ideal Justice Nation Write Writing
Science is not a sacred cow. Science is a horse. Don’t worship it. Feed it. [Addressing a group of prospective contributors to an Israeli scientific research program]
ABBA EBAN

Contribute Feed Group Horse Research Scared Science Worship
Tragedy is the difference between what is and what could have been.
ABBA EBAN

Could Difference Happen Tragedy
Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
ABBA EBAN

Miss Missing never Opportunity Palestinian
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
Israel is not an aviary.
ABBA EBAN

Better
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
If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions.
ABBA EBAN

Declare Earth Flat Flattered Introduce Vote
A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually.
ABBA EBAN

Agrees Belief Collectively Individually Mean Sarcastic
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
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

Tragedy is the difference between what is and what could have been.

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Tragedy is the difference between what is and what could have been.

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