Quote

The history of Israel is divided into two parts. One, under attack that we have had to defend ourselves. When you defend yourself your thinking is totally different from when you want to make peace. So under attack you behave like if you want a hawk, when peace comes you become a dove.

Shimon Peres

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Shimon Peres
Age: 93 †
Born: 1923
Born: August 16
Died: 2016
Died: September 28
Poet
Politician
President Of Israel
Writer
Vishneva
Szymon Perski
Peres
Make
Israel
Hawk
Thinking
Parts
Hawks
Like
Peace
Dove
History
Defend
Comes
Divided
Two
Attack
Become
Behave
Different
Totally

More quotes by Shimon Peres

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Peace with the Palestinians will open ports of peace all around the Mediterranean. The duty of leaders is to pursue freedom ceaselessly, even in the face of hostility, in the face of doubt and disappointment. Just imagine what could be.
Shimon Peres
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Look, Israel doesn't intend to introduce nuclear weapons, but if people are afraid that we have them, why not? It's a deterrent.
Shimon Peres
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Can any church help us to win a war? If you can't help us win a war, then please don't press us.
Shimon Peres
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Early in the morning, I fell in love with the girl that later on became my wife. At that time, we were so naive. I wanted to charm her, so I read her Capital by Marx. I thought somehow she would be convinced by the strength of his criticism about capital.
Shimon Peres
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The Holocaust is a great warning to us all. We shall never forget our sisters and brothers. We have to ensure it is not repeated and to ensure we never go back to the days when humans behaved as beasts. Forgetfulness is a menace, we must remember.
Shimon Peres
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[Hamas] lives on their rifles and bombs.
Shimon Peres
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In many ways, the media today makes dictatorship impossible. But it also makes democracy intolerable.
Shimon Peres
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Palestinians are becoming religiously fanatic. Israel is becoming irrelevant. They do it for religious purpose, fanatic, they want to conquer the Middle East under the command of the Iranians.
Shimon Peres
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Most of the Palestinians don't understand what they're doing... Politically, people can say what they want. The problem is not political, but religious.
Shimon Peres
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You don't make peace with friends. You make it with very unsavory enemies.
Shimon Peres
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I am a president who also gives pardons. Usually my considerations are humane.
Shimon Peres
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When you have two alternatives, the first thing you have to do is to look for the third that you didn't think about, that doesn't exist.
Shimon Peres
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Iran is a great problem, but not necessarily a great country. In fact, I think it is a very weak country.
Shimon Peres
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Hamas married the Iranians. It was their choice. They are the same family.
Shimon Peres
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Without freedom you cannot have real peace.
Shimon Peres
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The United States is the only power in history that became great by giving and not by taking. I think the crisis was when the United States had more money than ideas. Money doesn't produce money. Ideas produce money.
Shimon Peres
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In the past, most wars were motivated by the idea of nationhood. Today, however, wars are incited above all using religion as an excuse.
Shimon Peres
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I think I was a good student, because I jumped over a school. My main interest was basically history and literature. Sports were basically basketball and swimming at a pool. I was so happy.
Shimon Peres
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They thought that I was a man with reasonable judgment, so I was never under pressure from my parents I could do whatever I wanted. I never had a negative word from them, nothing whatsoever.
Shimon Peres
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Why cross and ocean when you can cross a river? Why should we sail to Washington when we can meet right away 10 miles from here?
Shimon Peres