people-from-warsaw

"We are waiting for you, the Red Plague To save us from the Black Course To be our salvation Before tearing our homeland into parts We are waiting for you The power of crowd brutished under your cruel rule We are waiting for you to crush us with your foot of mass of ideas and domination We are waiting for you, an eternal enemy You bloody murder of many our brothers We are waiting for you not to take revenge But to welcome you with bread on threshold We are waiting for you but you're still delaying You are afraid of us and we know about it You want us to be cut down on the ruins of Warsaw You are awaiting our extermination. But know that from our tombs The new victorious Poland will arise And you, red ruler of the enraged mob, will not strut on this land"

"Fortunately, Poland today complies with the conventions of the civilized world. If chauvinistic or extremist voices are heard anywhere in the world they have to be denounced loudly. We must have the courage to stand against what assaults our sense of honesty and justice. Today, personal courage is necessary to surmount the fear of publicly addressing unpopular subjects. This is why it is necessary to teach young people that it is important to stand by their principles even if there are moments of pain and hardship. We must be careful not to allow any deviation to counteract certain positive patterns of normal behaviour."

"Enmity is incomparably easier than reconciliation. After all, it happens that we feel almost friendly towards an enemy, being able to shift the responsibility for all our misfortunes to him. […] And reconciliation? How can we live amongst the rubble? How to rid oneself of the memory of wrongs? How can we forget the suffering which filled a victim's entire life? […] Reconciliation requires reflection, moral sensitivity, conscience, great spiritual effort. It requires parting from delusions, from the mythology of hatred and seeing – in the old enemy and in oneself – a person under the same heaven."

"For most of us, concentration camps and extermination camps are the culmination of the persecution of the Jews, a devastating symbol of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust. Much more shocking, in my eyes, however, is the calm and calculated origin of the tragedy that was soon to take concrete form in Auschwitz and other extermination camps at a convivial lunch-time meeting at Wannsee in Berlin on 20 January 1942, a meeting that had already come to a close by early afternoon of the same day. The events that took place in those few hours, however, represented an unprecedented case of meticulously organized mass extermination of millions of victims, the birth of a terrifying idea thought up by the minds of educated people in an ostensibly civilized European country with long traditions."

"I, a Polish Catholic, belong to a generation that has personal experience of helplessness in the face of evil. I also spent seven months in Auschwitz. Finally, we are linked by an enduring collective feeling of shame for Europeans and for their passiveness and the failure of the European and American tactics of the time."

"I can say, that no man can judge his own life. So no man can say that he could have done more. The older I get, the greater the certitude I have, that it is the correct, sincere answer. It is possible to expect courage from people and even heroism. But it is necessary to understand the simple fact that they are people."

"Priorities, which clearly point out that at the end of the 20th century, as well as at the beginning of the 21st one, the question we will have to ask and answer is the following: in what way we can further contribute to solving such a difficult problem as the conflict prevention in its regional dimension."

"It's worth being honest, although it doesn't always pay off. It pays off to be dishonest, but it isn't worth it."

"Every person is responsible for his deeds. Christians in the Catholic Church, and not just in Poland, pray for forgiveness for sins of thought and deed, including also the sin of failing to offer help, and of indifference toward evil. Not just wicked deeds or words but also passivity and not getting involved in good deeds are sins. Young people should arrange their lives so that they are content with themselves. And they can achieve satisfaction by knowing that they have acted in a just manner."

"As a historian I refuse to recognize an epochal boundary before the fact."

"I have made it a habit not to speculate over the psychological state of our elected leaders."

"From a material perspective, it might not always pay to be honest, but from a moral perspective, it's always the right thing. That applies to a frail person as well as a criminal. This was my guiding principle - both when I was in captivity and after I was released."

"The white-and-red banner is the symbol of our country, the symbol prescribed in our Constitution. Symbols build unity, create unity, but at the same time symbols are there to remind us and realize that between the public domain, i.e. the national domain and the value domain, there is a direct relationship. This is the fundamental truth."

"In Russia, the media feeds people with messages that have nothing to do with reality – even being a brutal and crude denial of it – and we also have media [in Poland] that work at least similarly. The media is a major constraint on our public debate."

"There will be no Polexit, it is a propaganda invention that has been used many times against us. We unequivocally see the future of Poland in the European Union."

"I had said we would face an uphill battle and that stones would be thrown. We are being attacked internally and from the outside ... in ways that discount the reality and aim to demean ... Poland. It's easy to serve the interests of the most powerful. If you want to serve the society, the nation, it's much more difficult."

"In the EU there is a rule: who is stronger is better. And because Germany is strongest, the old German concept – a concept that can be called neo-imperial – holds sway. The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, wants to build a superstate of world importance under German leadership."

"I understand people curse. I do it myself in stores, although of course I am aware that my situation is very different and I do not even try to compare myself and my financial situation to those who earn an average or little income."

"Unity is also our health service. (...) We can make it better if we change the way of thinking. The health service must be about treating patients, not just providing a paid service. Doctors have a duty to treat patients. Although money is a part of such treatment, it must remain a secondary factor, because the health service must put patients’ interests first."

"Unity means also a strong identity with the nation, as well as confidence and pride in being Polish. Our pride has been degraded for over 20 years; we were taught to be ashamed; our image was discredited outside our borders; we fell victim to slanders. We can and we will stand up against this phenomenon in Poland, by changing our education programs and introducing new cultural values, but we will also stand up on the international and global scene. We must want to defend our pride and dignity in order to be what we ought to be – a great European nation!"

"Major changes are required in the education – we need to raise our behavioral standards; we need to instill the essential sense of identity. We cannot succeed without our identity and we learnt that from other countries’ experience. Those that succeeded have built strong unity, whereas our unity has been consistently destroyed over the last 20 years."

"We must succeed in order to take the first step to reform Poland, so that we seize opportunities waiting for us beyond the Polish borders. The first step is to establish a government, strong in its foundation and strong in its constitution. Government that will be strengthened by its cooperation with the President, but that will also remain open to others."

"I will return to freedom, equality, justice and solidarity. Let us ask, what is the inverse to those terms. They are the reverse to one principle, which unfortunately in today Poland, still has not been eliminated. This is the principle of who the stronger, the better."

"A country is not only an organization covering a given territory. The state is and should be a moral quality. We have addressed this for a long time, for over twenty years. Now, I will repeat it again. This moral quality, expressed by other means, determines the legitimacy of the state."

"The program of deep changes in our country will not slow down, on the contrary — there cannot be any talk about reaching an agreement with powers that for years treated Poland as their own private loot."

"In the West, the fight [against inflation] is waged by limiting the purchasing power of people, and this will probably bring about an effect quite quickly. Wage growth there is much lower than inflation. We cannot follow this path, because it would be felt much more by Poles. We will not limit social benefits; we will lower taxes. We have to explain this to voters."

"We will struggle without the trust, because the change is a difficult process that will meet opposition. We need this social support, so we can make those changes for the sake of our country, and so that we can fulfil our great plans for the sake of our community. These plans involve boosting our economy, which develops, according to some claims. However, ladies and gentlemen, it develops at a pace too slow and below our capabilities."

"One can talk about two movements legitimizing Poland’s identity – aside from the one, which is very important in a democracy, and which in any case we do not undermine, and that is the formal, legal formation. So, the formal one arises from election procedures, law-making procedures, i.e. everything in a democracy which is very, very important and which in no way we would question. But there are also movements that go deeper than state building. You can talk about two such movements."

"The legitimacy of the second kind, which can be called pragmatic, refers to everything that the state has to provide to the citizens. You can say what the state does to fulfil the needs of citizens, and how it serves the community."

"The first is of a historical and moral nature. It has roots in the history, tradition, language, culture, cultural codes, a common understanding and understanding of meaning. This legitimacy is immensely important, relating to public awareness, but if you look at Poland, Polish tradition, it also refers to some very specific demands, translating into concrete demands. It is the demand for freedom, equality and justice."

"There is something in Poland, that puts emphasis on what also in the West of Europe, in many countries, wiped out freedom, and especially freedom of expression. This thing is political correctness. I want to say one thing, of course, we do not accept any laws on hate speech and similar inventions aimed to ensure that freedom is eliminated. I will say even more. Poland should be an island of freedom, even if everywhere else it will be limited. We were once an island of tolerance in Europe, and now we should become an island of freedom. And we need not be ashamed. This is our banner and great asset. This is our moral strength. This is not always so with equality and justice."

"But we can ask the public what it wants. What kind of Poland? Is it the one which we had, or the one which is ahead of us. Poland – let me repeat again – of security, freedom, equality, justice and solidarity."

"People have to vaccinate, this is the basic issue. Considering the realities and reluctance of a large part of society, we need to consider what we can do here. I am returning to the efficiency of the state: the courts are the last instance here - without reforming them, persuading them to obey the law, because that is what it is all about, it is difficult to change. This affects the functioning of the entire state, at various levels, and this must be taken into account."

"Today the rejection of evil is something extremely important, because evil is attacking our country, our fatherland, our nation, it is attacking the institution that is at the heart of our identity, the Catholic church."

"Today, when it comes to modern states, this legitimacy breaks down to at least five types. These include external security, internal security, in the modern state, especially social security, as well as commercial and economic security. Finally, the security that every state must provide to its citizens as it guarantees to itself. The state is also a dispenser of goods. And all of these processes, which are associated with the use of coercion and distribution of goods may deviate to a form of pathology and can lead to various kinds of abuse. That is why we have to treat the fifth type of security very seriously. I think we can say that what Poles expect today from the state is security, freedom, equality and justice, which in Poland is always linked with solidarity. These are particularly important expectations."

"We must also strengthen our special services. Especially in one case, which is today very important. This is the war on terrorism. We need to be protected. The danger can come from various sides. And we have to remember that. Each responsible authority must keep this in mind and not create a legal situation of helplessness."

"Dear all, the rule of law is not something you can declare, decree even in the Constitution. It is an attribute of some form of social organization. The fundamental element in this type of organization is with the balance of power. If a certain social force enjoys a great superiority, it will always instrumentally dominate the law. It will always bring it under its own control. There is no other way. It is the balance that is needed."

"The road ahead is clear and its destination is more than just a mandate. We aim higher; we want to change Poland. We want to improve Poland to enable our entire nation to make use of its full potential, so that we can move forward and eliminate the divisions between us and our western neighbors. Our ultimate goal is strong and successful Poland!"

"We must unite as a nation. Unity is a state of awareness, but it also needs to reflect on the real aspects of life, such as fair distribution of goods and the equality of rights. Such equality does not exist in today’s Poland, and there is no justified distribution of goods. We know that the distribution of goods cannot be equal at all times, but it must be justified by appropriate norms. We must remember that unity exists when everyone can rely on support in good times as well as in the times of hardship. We must build this unity."

"We are a serious player and therefore more and more heavy guns are being brought against us. When it was decided to expand the European Union, it was probably assumed that our part of Europe would be in the situation of weaker, non-subject countries, used as cheap labor for a very long time. This has started to change, which many in the West do not like. We received the first such signals in the 1990s, when we were poor. It was thought that we would remain like the countries of the South, and today it turned out that in this sense Poland is a country of the North."

"In the event of a failure of another significant (power) source (in Poland), it (Młoty Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant) will protect the system against possible shortages in the power system. Meanwhile, the reservoir created for water storage will also perform retention and recreational functions, thereby contributing to the development of the Kłodzko Valley in which it is located."

"Lewi has the most incredible body, it is just pure muscles. It just stuns the other players in the changing room."

"He showed his quality again, although he does not have to prove his class to anyone. We have to see that he is at 100 per cent, and then he is enormously important to us. And that’s why the club are not letting him go."

"He is the complete striker that I often compare to – since I was myself a striker – to a phenomenon that I played against many times myself. ​Marco van Basten. At my time, Marco van Basten was the most complete forward in the world, in the late 80s and early 90s. And I think Robert Lewandowski put his stamp on the last decade like nobody else."

"Technically he was always great, now he also has that cool head. The way he scored the goals is phenomenal. For me he is the best and most complete striker in the world at the moment."

"How he pushed himself to become the player he is today, that’s extraordinary. He took every step he needed to be that goal machine. Every one."

"He is the most professional player I have ever met. He is always there, never injured, because he focuses on these things. He always knows what is important to be in the best condition. But I was always very, very pleased with him, from the first moment [we met]."

"Lewandowski is one of the best strikers, if not the best striker, in the world."

"Before I had a lot of problems with my body language – being more a part of the game and training. My body language was the same. Sometimes you have to be more angry. For me that was never going to happen."

"Everything you do before the game, the routine is also important to keep the high-level concentration. The brain gets the information that something important is coming. He asked what I do. I said: ‘I don’t know, I do a few things.’ But before the next game I was more focused. Every time I put the left boot on first."