Dwight D. Eisenhower citáty

page 6

„Keď vám ľudia rozprávajú o preventívnej vojne, povedzte im, aby išli do nej bojovať. Na základe vlastnej skúsenosti som došiel k tomu, že nenávidím vojnu. Vojna nevyrieši nič.“

„Tento ozbrojený svet neutráca iba peniaze. Utráca pot svojich robotníkov, génia svojich vedcov, nádeje svojich detí.“

„Keby som bol myslel, že bude ešte jedna svetová vojna, bol by som po porazení Nemecka vyskočil z lietadla, keď som sa do USA vracal cez Atlantický oceán!“

„Ľudia rozprávajú o strednej ceste tak, akoby bola neprijateľná. V skutočnosti všetky ľudské problémy, okrem morálky, spadajú do sivých oblastí. Všetky veci nie sú čierne a biele. Musia existovať kompromisy. Stred cesty je všetka použiteľná plocha. Extrémy, vľavo a vpravo, sú v priekopách.“

„Niektorí ľudia chceli šampanské a kaviár, keď mali mať pivo a párok v rožku.“

„Hoci sila môže ochrániť v núdzovej situácii, iba spravodlivosť, čestnosť, ohľaduplnosť a spolupráca môžu nakoniec doviesť ľudí k úsvitu večného mieru.“

„Mier nepodporujeme vtedy, keď sa rozprávame len s ľuďmi, ktorí s nami súhlasia.“

„Nikdy nestrácajte ani minútu premýšľaním o ľuďoch, ktorých nemáte radi.“

„Ak vojaci plnia rozkazy bez premýšľania, je to víťazstvo pre veliteľa a porážka pre človeka.“

„Iba naša individuálna viera v slobodu nás môže udržať slobodnými.“

„Intelektuál je človek, ktorý hovorí viac, ako sám vie, a používa k tomu viac slov, ako je potrebné.“

„Každý deň má dve ušká. Môžeme ho chytiť buď za nesmelosť alebo za dôveru.“

„Politika je povolanie; vážne, zložité a vo svojom pravom zmysle vznešené.“

„Schopnosť viesť: Umenie nechať niekoho iného urobiť niečo, čo chcete urobiť, pretože on to chce urobiť.“

„Skromnosť musí byť prirodzenou reakciou muža, ktorému sa dostáva slávy, za ktorú zaplatil krvou, preliatou »jeho podriadenými a obeťami priateľov.“

„Vodcovstvo je schopnosť rozhodnúť sa o tom, čo sa má urobiť, a potom dosiahnuť, aby to spravili ostatní.“

„Žiadny muž nestojí za tvoje slzy, ale keď nájdeš takého, ktorý za to stojí, ten ťa nerozplače.“

“Un-American activity cannot be prevented or routed out by employing un-American methods; to preserve freedom we must use the tools that freedom provides.”

“It is my personal conviction that almost any one of the newborn states of the world would far rather embrace Communism or any other form of dictatorship than acknowledge the political domination of another government, even though that brought to each citizen a far higher standard of living.”

“Freedom under law is like the air we breathe.”

“One hundred eighty years later, we know that the eyes of the world are fixed upon us. And we must ask ourselves: what kind of an example of freedom do we give to our age? What are the true marks of our America—and what do they mean to the world?”

“The gravity of the time is such that every new avenue of peace, no matter how dimly discernible, should be explored.”

“I know that the American people share my deep belief that if a danger exists in the world, it is a danger shared by all; and equally, that if hope exists in the mind of one nation, that hope should be shared by all.”

“The free world, at least dimly aware of these facts, has naturally embarked on a large program of warning and defense systems. That program will be accelerated and extended. But let no one think that the expenditure of vast sums for weapons and systems of defense can guarantee absolute safety for the cities and citizens of any nation. The awful arithmetic of the atomic bomb does not permit of any such easy solution. Even against the most powerful defense, an aggressor in possession of the effective minimum number of atomic bombs for a surprise attack could probably place a sufficient number of his bombs on the chosen targets to cause hideous damage.”

“Conceiving the defense of freedom, like freedom itself, to be one and indivisible, we hold all continents and peoples in equal regard and honor. We reject any insinuation that one race or another, one people or another, is in any sense inferior or expendable.”

“Shortly we will be fighting our way across the Continent of Europe in battles designed to preserve our civilization. Inevitably, in the path of our advance will be found historical monuments and cultural centers which symbolize to the world all that we are fighting to preserve. It is the responsibility of every commander to protect and respect these symbols whenever possible. In some circumstances the success of the military operation may be prejudiced in our reluctance to destroy these revered objects. Then, as at Casssino, where the enemy relied on our emotional attachments to shield his defense, the lives of our men are paramount. So, where military necessity dictates, commanders may order the required action even though it involves destruction to some honored site. But there are many circumstances in which damage and destruction are not necessary and cannot be justified. In such cases, through the exercise of restraint and discipline, commanders will preserve centers and objects of historical and cultural significance. Civil Affairs Staffs at higher echleons will advise commanders of the locations of historical monuments of this type both in advance of the front lines and in occupied areas. This information together with the necessary instruction, will be passe down through command channels to all echleons.”

“It is the firm duty of each of our free citizens and of every free citizen everywhere to place the cause of his country before the comfort, the convenience of himself.”

“The peace we seek and need means much more than mere absence of war. It means the acceptance of law, and the fostering of justice, in all the world.”

“The only way to win the next world war is to prevent it.”

“You have got to have something in which to believe. You have got to have leaders, organization, friendships, and contacts that help you to believe that, and help you to put out your best.”

“The essence of leadership is to get others to do something because they think you want it done and because they know it is worth while doing -- that is what we are talking about.”

“Change based on principle is progress. Constant change without principle becomes chaos.”

“We have not taken and we shall not take a single backward step. There must be no second class citizens in this country.”

“There is - in world affairs - a steady course to be followed between an assertion of strength that is truculent and a confession of helplessness that is cowardly.”

“Lather me up, boss.”

“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”

“The older I get the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first. A process which often reduces the most complex human problem to a manageable proportion.”

“Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts.”

“Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first—the most basic—expression of Americanism. Thus the Founding Fathers saw it, and thus, with God's help, it will continue to be.”