"He had been sorry to see during the last few weeks the re-emergence of such phrases as "pro-German" and "pro-French". In the modern world such phrases had no meaning whatever. The British were not "anti" any nation in Europe. They were not hostile to any people, nor did they regard any as antipathetic to them. The British people had never been good haters. Their inclination had always been to forgive and forget at once. Sometimes, indeed, this readiness had even seemed a little incomprehensible to those who had been our comrades in arms, but it was an essential element in the British character. As in the past, so today. We were not "anti" nation, but we should be; we must be "anti" any who might seek by force to break the peace. We should always be found arrayed on the side of the collective system against any Government or people who sought by a return to power politics to break up the peace, which by that system we were seeking to create. And they should not forget that the Covenant itself provided the machinery by which the peaceful settlement of international disputes could be secured."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Prime Ministers of the United KingdomPoliticians from EnglandDiplomats of the United KingdomAnglicans from the United KingdomConservative Party (UK) politicians
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Speech to the East and West Fulham Conservative and Unionist Association in Fulham (16 May 1935), quoted in The Times (17 May 1935), p. 21
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anthony_Eden
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative politician who served three periods as Foreign Secretary and then a short term as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1957. He served as British Foreign Secretary under Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II, having previously resigned the office in opposition of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Nazi Germany. His brief premiership ended afte
71 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Anthony Eden →
Related Quotes
"There can be only one peace which will be acceptable to the people of this country. That is a peace which takes every…"
"The Under-Secretary quoted an old military maxim, and I will quote one which is that "Attack is the best possible for…"
"My right hon. Friend the Member for Epping attacked the Government for basing its whole foreign policy upon disarmame…"
"The hon. Gentleman the Member for Limehouse said that the chief problems of the Conference were security and disarmam…"
"He was confident that there was no nation at the present time which looked upon the armaments of this country with su…"
"The lead we had given in post-War years by the successive reductions in the size of our Air Force had not been follow…"
"In my view there is no security in armaments comparable to that which can be derived from the effective working of a …"
"Since the war began the Government have received countless inquiries from all over the Kingdom from men of all ages w…"
"Never had so much been surrendered by so many to so few."
"Wolfe has said: "War is an option of difficulties.""