vaclav havel

“ It cannot suffice to invent new machines, new regulations, new institutions. It is necessary to change and improve our understanding of the true purpose of what we are and what we do in the world. ”

“ I have long since come to realize, however, that it is just not that simple and that no opposition party in and of itself, just as no new electoral laws in and of themselves, could make society proof against some new form of violence. ”

“ The period you grow up in and mature in always influence your thinking. This in itself requires no self-criticism. What is more important is how you have allowed yourself to be influenced, whether by good or evil. ”

“ In everyone there is some willingness to merge with the anonymous crowd and to flow comfortably along with it down the river of pseudo-life. ”

“ Do not these 'post-democratic' relationships of immediate personal trust and the informal rights of individuals based on them come out of the background of all those commonly shared difficulties? ”

“ Truth lies not only in what is said, but also in who says it, to whom, why, how and under what circumstances. ”

“ Hope is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but, rather, an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed. ”

“ If the main pillar of the system is living a lie, then it is not surprising that the fundamental threat to it is living the truth. This is why it must be suppressed more severely than anything else. ”

“ The leader's authority ought to derive from their personalities and be personally tested in their particular surroundings, and not from their position in any nomenklatura. ”

“ You can't spend your whole life criticizing something and then, when you have the chance to do it better, refuse to go near it. ”