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It's better to be controversial for the right reasons, than to be popular for the wrong reasons.

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
Right
Controversial
Popular
Reasons
Wrong
Reason
Better

More quotes by Shimon Peres

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Leading the Jewish people is not easy -- we are a divided, obstinate, highly individualistic people who have cultivated faith, sharp wittedness and polemics to a very high level.
Shimon Peres
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Israel was born under the British mandate. We learned from the British what democracy means, and how it behaves in a time of danger, war and terror. We thank Britain for introducing freedom and respect of human rights both in normal and demanding circumstances.
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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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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In the Middle East, the conflict today is a matter of generations and not of cultures.
Shimon Peres
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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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Nothing had excited me-the huge cars, the entourages, the bodyguards, the policeman jumping to attention, all meant nothing to me ... till I came to the old man's office. (On becoming prime minister)
Shimon Peres
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You know who is against democracy in the Middle East? The husbands. They got used to their way of life. Now, the traditional way of life must change. Everybody must change. If you don't give equal rights to women, you can't progress.
Shimon Peres
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I've worked with 10 presidents. It's a record. I worked with Republicans and Democrats. All of them when it came to Israel were, movingly, friendly. From Truman, who was the first to recognize Israel 11 minutes after the U.N. resolution, to Obama. When it comes to the major issues of security and strategy, we are together, completely.
Shimon Peres
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Israel's doors are open to collaboration with Bulgaria.
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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We asked the workers to give up 25 percent of their salaries. Imagine! We asked the industrialists to freeze all costs, no matter what the inflation is.
Shimon Peres
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The internet, Facebook and Twitter have created mass communications and social spaces that regimes cannot control.
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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Without freedom you cannot have real peace.
Shimon Peres
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The president of Iran should remember that Iran can also be wiped off the map.
Shimon Peres
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For many years the stakes were clear. There were the Arabs attacking us and us defending ourselves, so basically there were no real problems [between the United States and Israel]. Now there are many small cells, and each of them can destroy on their own. Some can arrive at New York and kill thousands of people.
Shimon Peres
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Today, Israel is stronger than ever. Israel has defensive tools of its own - those developed in the past and those developed today and those that will be developed tomorrow.
Shimon Peres
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I will confine myself to reaffirming the Israel will not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons to the region.
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