"A modern philosopher once said: "Only a God can save us now." Yes, the only real hope of people today is probably a renewal of our certainty that we are rooted in the earth and, at the same time, in the cosmos. This awareness endows us with the capacity for self-transcendence. Politicians at international forums may reiterate a thousand times that the basis of the new world order must be universal respect for human rights, but it will mean nothing as long as this imperative does not derive from the respect of the miracle of Being, the miracle of the universe, the miracle of nature, the miracle of our own existence. Only someone who submits to the authority of the universal order and of creation, who values the right to be a part of it and a participant in it, can genuinely value himself and his neighbors, and thus honor their rights as well."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
AbsurdistsPlaywrights from the Czech RepublicFilm directors from the Czech RepublicPoliticians from the Czech RepublicPresidents of the Czech Republic
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Havel
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Václav Havel
134 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Václav Havel →
Related Quotes
"A great fighter for the freedom of nations and for democracy has died … His outstanding voice of wisdom will be misse…"
"Having encountered many setbacks, Havel lived with a spirit of hope, which he defined as “the ability to work for som…"
"With the death of Vaclav Havel, the Czech republic has lost one of its great patriots, France has lost a friend, and …"
"Havel … invokes … "higher law" when he claims that "human rights, human freedoms . . . and human dignity have their d…"
"He will be remembered as a hero to the people of the Czech Republic and to lovers of freedom around the world."
"We are finding out that what looked like a neglected house a year ago is in fact a ruin."
"Man is in fact nailed down — like Christ on the Cross — to a grid of paradoxes . . . he balances between the torment …"
"It's not hard to stand behind one's successes. But to accept responsibility for one's failures... that is devishly ha…"
"Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so it is the basic law of life to be ever …"
"There's always something suspicious about an intellectual on the winning side."