Natan Sharansky Quotes

• By focusing once and for all on helping the Palestinians build a free society, I have no doubt that an historic compromise between Israelis and Palestinians can be reached and that peace can prevail.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Palestinians, Israelis

• By helping readers understand these mechanics, I hope they will appreciate why freedom is for everyone, why it is essential for our security and why the free world plays a critically important role in advancing democracy around the globe.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Critically, Advancing

• I am optimistic that peace can be achieved in the region because I believe that every society on earth can be free and that if freedom comes to the Middle East, there can be peace.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Optimistic, Region

• I was inspired to write this book by those who are sceptical of the power of freedom to change the world.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Inspired, Sceptical

• It is not surprising, then, that in the decade since Oslo began, Arafat used all the resources placed at his disposal to fan the flames of hatred against Israel.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Arafat, Oslo

• Japan is not a Western democracy. The Japanese have kept their traditions, culture and heritage, but they have joined the community of free nations.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Traditions, Heritage

• On the other hand, if the free world is concerned with how a new Palestinian leader governs, then the peace process will have a real chance to succeed.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Governs, Leader

• Only weeks after Oslo began, when nearly all the world and most of Israel was drunk with the idea of peace, I argued that a Palestinian society not constrained by democratic norms would be a fear society that would pose a grave threat to Israel.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Pose, Argued

• The three main sources of scepticism are first, that not every people desires freedom; second, that democracy in certain parts of the world would be dangerous; and third, that there is little the world’s democracies can do to advance freedom outside their countries.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Outside, Democracies

• There were no dissidents then in the USSR because they were all killed.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Killed, Dissidents

• This scepticism is the same scepticism I heard a generation ago in the USSR when few thought that a democratic transformation behind the iron curtain was possible.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Generation, Ussr

• Unfortunately, little attention was paid to how Arafat ruled. In fact, some saw the harsh and repressive nature of Arafat’s regime as actually bolstering the prospects for peace.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Regime, Unfortunately

• When we are unwilling to draw clear moral lines between free societies and fear societies, when we are unwilling to call the former good and the latter evil, we will not be able to advance the cause of peace because peace cannot be disconnected from freedom.

  Natan Sharansky

  Tags in Latter, Unwilling

Natan Sharansky (33)

Birth:	20th January, 1948
Nationality:	Russian
Profession:	Activist, Author, Politician

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Today's Anniversary - 26th December

Births

• 1917 - Rose Mary Woods
• 1936 - Kitty Dukakis
• 1949 - Jose Ramos Horta
• 1956 - David Sedaris
• 1939 - Lynn Morley Martin

Deaths

• 1931 - Melvil Dewey
• 2005 - Vincent Schiavelli
• 2011 - Samuel Carthorne Rivers
• 2005 - Kerry Packer
• 1945 - Bela Bartok