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After the French Revolution, it was not the treason of the king that was in question; it was the existence of the king. You have to be very careful when you judge and execute somebody for being a symbol.

Adam Michnik

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
The main difference between the Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution was that the former was mostly the work of Communist party members and others who wanted to bring about ‘socialism with a human face.’
ADAM MICHNIK

Communist Difference Face Former Human Main Member Party Prague Revolution Socialism Spring Velvet
After the French Revolution, it was not the treason of the king that was in question; it was the existence of the king. You have to be very careful when you judge and execute somebody for being a symbol.
ADAM MICHNIK

Country Final French Judging King Question Revolution Treason
I think you can be an enemy of Saddam Hussein even if Donald Rumsfeld is also an enemy of Saddam Hussein.
ADAM MICHNIK

Enem Enemy Hussein Thinking
Politics and ethics belong to different worlds.
ADAM MICHNIK

Different Ethics Politics World
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
I believe that a man can only be useful to his country when he can look at it clearly.
ADAM MICHNIK

Believe Clearly Country Look Man Useful
Do you believe in free speech? Then speak freely. Do you love the truth? Then tell it.
ADAM MICHNIK

Believe Freely Question Speak Speech Tell Truth
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
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
Start doing the things you think should be done, and start being what you think society should become.
ADAM MICHNIK

Doing Done Life Love Society Start Wisdom
I consider that 9/11 was the day when war was started against my own work and against myself.
ADAM MICHNIK

Against Consider Country Day Myself Own Started War Word
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
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
They want a gradual coup. If Orbán stayed in power in Hungary or if Kaczynski were to win an election in our country, it would be dangerous.
ADAM MICHNIK

Country Coup Dangerous Election Gradual Hungary Orban Power
In a democracy, the government is a reflection of society because people are elected.
ADAM MICHNIK

Democracy Elected Government People Reflection Society
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
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
The real struggle for us is for the citizen to cease to be the property of the state.
ADAM MICHNIK

Cease Citizen Property Real State Struggle
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
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
We still have politicians who strive for a different type of country: Kaczynski as well as Orbán in Hungary.
ADAM MICHNIK

Country Different Hungary Man Politician Strive Type Winning
This is why we will never again say that Chamberlain is no better than Hitler, Roosevelt no better than Stalin, and Nixon no better than Mao Zedong, even if we do condemn Roosevelt for Yalta, Chamberlain for Munich, and Nixon for Watergate.
ADAM MICHNIK

Again Better never Say
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
The call to finally clean house is a propaganda tool of the right, which tolerates the leftists who it condemns.
ADAM MICHNIK

Call Clean Condemn Finally House Leftist Propaganda Right Tolerate Tool
America needed our help, and we had to give it.
ADAM MICHNIK

Country Giving Help Needed
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

Dark Democracy Dictatorship Doorbell Freedom Guarantee Rule Safe Street Terror

After the French Revolution, it was not the treason of the king that was in question; it was the existence of the king. You have to be very careful when you judge and execute somebody for being a symbol.

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After the French Revolution, it was not the treason of the king that was in question; it was the existence of the king. You have to be very careful when you judge and execute somebody for being a symbol.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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