45 Mind-Blowing Quotes By Helmut Kohl
I ask myself where Germany stands today and where it wants to go.
There must be no question for us that we in the European Union and the eurozone stand by Greece in solidarity.
It was a stroke of luck that there were about four to six leaders in power in the mid-'80s who really trusted one another and could really make things happen.
In German history, we don't have many reasons to be proud.
German and European unification are two sides of the same coin.
When I was elected to head the German government, I was fortunate enough to find a partner in Francois Mitterrand.
Our shared historical experiences led myself and Mitterrand to the decision that we must do everything to prevent further wars.
My parents were Christians - Catholics, but not in the close-minded sense. I remember my mother to be a very pious woman, but she was never against other religions.
In a democracy, if you don't get the votes, nothing else is possible, no matter how wonderful your dreams.
Germany is our fatherland; Europe is our future.
Nations with a common currency never went to war against each other. A common currency is more than the money you pay with.
When people come to write about my period of office, I would be very happy if they say that I made a contribution to finding the happy medium again for the Germans.
I knew that I could never win a referendum in Germany. We would have lost a referendum on the introduction of the euro. That's quite clear. I would have lost, and by seven to three.
Where there is no will, no rules or laws can help.
The most important rule of the new Europe is: There must never again be violence in Europe.
I experienced Nazism as a child. Like many of my generation, I was motivated by the desire to prevent another war at any price.
My childhood ended in 1942. I was 12, and for the next three years, I lived under incessant bombings. It was a life of constant fear.
If a Chancellor is trying to push something through, he must be a man of power. And if he's smart, he knows when the time is ripe. In one case - the euro - I was like a dictator... The euro is a synonym for Europe.
We were united not only by political respect for each other, but also by deep mutual sympathy as people.
The Christian Democrats always made you feel like the poor relation.
The army is under orders to defend every place.
Russia is Germany's most important neighbor in the East, and it will remain so.
George Bush was for me the most important ally on the road to German unity.
For me it is completely clear that our air bases in Germany would be available to the Americans.
If one has no compass, when one doesn't know where one stands and where one wants to go, one can deduce that one has no leadership or interest in shaping events.
I have made a very good living, for more than 30 years, by being underestimated.
We Germans have learned from history. We are a peace-loving, freedom-loving people. There is only one place for us in the world: at the side of the free nations.
Solitary decisions, no matter how well-founded they may appear to individuals, must belong to the past - along with national, unilateralist action.
I have been underestimated for decades. I have done very well that way.
I have every reason, despite the resentment and exasperation, to be proud. I have nothing better to be proud of than being proud of German unity.
