Feminists

"Robbery and murder are the worst of human crimes; but in the West there are robbers and murderers. There are those who form cliques to vie for the reins of power and who, when deprived of that power, decry the injustice of it all. Even worse, international diplomacy is really based on the art of deception. Surveying the situation as a whole, all we can say is that there is a general prevalence of good over bad, but we can hardly call the situation perfect. When, several thousand years hence, the levels of knowledge and virtue of the peoples of the world will have made great progress (to the point of becoming utopian), the present condition of the nations of the West will surely seem a pitifully primitive stage. Seen in this light, civilization is an open-ended process. We cannot be satisfied with the present level of attainment of the West."

"Once the wind of Western civilization blows to the East, every blade of grass and every tree in the East follow what the Western wind brings... We do not have time to wait for the en­lightenment of our neighbors so that we can work together toward the development of Asia. It is better for us to leave the ranks of Asian na­tions and cast our lot with civilized nations of the West... We should deal with them exactly as the Westerners do."

"Therefore, to teach them [women] at least an outline of economics and law is the first requirement after giving them a general education. Figuratively speaking, it will be like providing the women of civilized society with a pocket dagger for self-protection."

"Whatever happens in the country, whatever warfare harasses our land, we will never relinquish our hold on Western learning. As long as this school of ours stands, Japan remains a civilized nation of the world."

"I think I have made it clear that I never intended to make enemies. But in an age when anti-foreign sentiment was running high, it was unavoidable that in my position as an advocate of open intercourse and free adoption of Western culture, I should make some adversaries."

"To recount the history of assassination since the beginning of our foreign intercourse — in the beginning, people simply hated the foreigners because all foreigners were "impure" men who should not be permitted to tread the sacred soil of Japan... As I have said before, I felt my life in greatest danger during the twelve or thirteen years around the period of the [Meiji] Restoration."

"The world is large."

"It is said that heaven does not create one man above or below another man. Any existing distinction between the wise and the stupid, between the rich and the poor, comes down to a matter of education."

"Each individual man and each individual country, according to the principles of natural reason, is free from bondage. Consequently, if there is some threat that might infringe upon a country’s freedom, then that country should not hesitate even to take up arms against all the countries of the world."

"In its broad sense, civilization means not only comfort in daily necessities but also the refining of knowledge and the cultivation of virtue so as to elevate human life to a higher plane... It refers to the attainment of both material well-being and the elevation of the human spirit, [but] since what produces man’s well-being and refinement is knowledge and virtue, civilization ultimately means the progress of man’s knowledge and virtue."

"Moreover, the argument for national polity, for Christianity, and for Confucianism... are also insufficient to bolster people’s hearts. What, then, will? I say there is one thing: namely, to establish our goal and advance toward civilization... The way in which to preserve this independence cannot be sought anywhere except in civilization."

"Jag har trots allt läst på kemisk–teknisk linje på gymnasiet, så jag förstår vad det handlar om."

"Jaha, jag har bråttom. Öpp öpp! Håll er borta."

"För mig är det oerhört slående vad politisk stabilitet betyder för ekonomisk utveckling när man ser det kinesiska exemplet."

"Den som är satt i skuld är inte fri."

"Kanske jag blir lite för duktig ibland... Kanske är jag för påläst och kan ibland uppfattas som lite mästrande."

"Jag leder inte världens mest briljanta regering. Statsråden tillhör inte den yppersta intellektuella eliten och särskilt vackra är vi inte heller."

"Jag är feminist, men vill inte driva de här frågorna så hårt att jag skapar motsättningar i samhället."

"Fri rörlighet för arbetskraft vill vi ha, men inte social turism. Där får vi inte vara naiva."

"Bush är underskattad i Europa och han är en skicklig politiker, även om vi inte tycker om hans politik."

"In Wellington is every year assembled a National Council of men, which holds a session lasting several months... From that Council women are excluded. … Under these circumstances a National Council which largely represents the thinking and working women of the colony (and which, it may be remarked, costs the country nothing) becomes a necessity. I trust the day is not far distant … when the necessity for men's councils and women's councils, as such, will be swept away."

"We are tired of having a 'sphere' doled out to us, and of being told that anything outside that sphere is 'unwomanly'. We want to be natural just for a change … we must be ourselves at all risks."

"The news is being flashed far and wide, and before our earth has revolved on her axis every civilized community within the reach of the electric wires will have received the tidings that civic freedom has been granted to the women of New Zealand. … It does not seem a great thing to be thankful for, that the gentlemen who confirm the laws which render women liable to taxation and penal servitude have declared us to be "persons"… We are glad and proud to think that even in so conservative a body as the Legislative Council there is a majority of men who are guided by the principles of reason and justice, who desire to see their womenkind treated as reasonable beings, and who have triumphed over prejudice, narrow-mindedness and selfishness."

"Is it right that your mother, your sister... should be classed with criminals and lunatics... ? Is it right that while the gambler, the drunkard, and even the wife-beater has a vote, earnest, educated and refined women are denied it?... Is it right... that a mother... should be thought unworthy of a vote that is freely given to the blasphemer, the liar, the seducer,and the profligate?"

"All that separates, whether of race, class, creed, or sex, is inhuman, and must be overcome."

"I will be the answer At the end of the line. I will be there for you, Why take the time? In the burning of uncertainty, I will be your solid ground. I will hold the balance If you can't look down."

"Crouching down inside a deep ravine, Those angry cries pass quickly by, he can't be seen. So many ways spent hiding in so many undone plans; Forgetting what it's like to fight when no one understands."

"You're always waiting on the tide, It's time you decide. I've walked down long roads that seem to have no end at all. You never wanted time to end, To let my life offend."

"In the desert of my dreams I saw you there; And I'm walking towards the water steaming body cold and bare. But your words cut loose the fire and you left my soul to bleed. And the pain that's in your truth's deceiving me, has got me scared. Oh why?"

"Open the doors that lead on in to Eden Don't want no cheap disguise. I follow the signs marked back to the beginning, No more compromise."

"I knew you wanted to tell me; In your voice there was something wrong. But if you would turn your face away from me, You cannot tell me you're so strong. Just let me ask of you one small thing. As we have shared so many tears, With fervor our dreams we planned a whole life long Now are scattered on the wind..."

"Don't tell me I haven't been good to you. Don't tell me I have never been there for you. Don't tell me why Nothing is good enough."

"I will remember you; Will you remember me? Don't let your life pass you by; Weep not for the memories."

"I'm so tired but I can't sleep, Standin' on the edge of something much too deep. It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word; We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard."

"I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose, Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose. Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night; You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light."

"You come out at night; That's when the energy comes. And the dark side's light, And the vampires roam. You strut your rasta wear And your suicide poem And a cross from a faith That died before Jesus came. You're building a mystery."

"What ravages of spirit conjured This temptuous rage; Created you a monster, Broken by the rule of love."

"Every moment marked With apparitions of your soul. I'm ever swiftly moving Trying to escape this desire."

"In the arms of the angel, Fly away from here. From this dark cold hotel room, And the endlessness you feel. You are pulled from the wreckage Of your silent reverie. You're in the arms of the angel; May you find some comfort here."

"Hearts are worn in these dark ages; You're not alone in this story's pages. Night has fallen amongst the living and the dying, And I try to hold it in, yeah I try to hold it in."

"So what are we saying? Our Eden's a failure. A made-up story to fit the picture-perfect world. The one with "I do"s and "I love you." And "we are made for each other." Is forever over now?"

"Love has made me a fool; It set me on fire and watched as I floundered, Unable to speak Except to cry out and wait for your answer. But you come around in your time, Speaking of fabulous places. Create an oasis; Dries up as soon as you're gone. You leave me here burning In this desert without you."

"I believe all the devils in hell are against us but we will triumph eventually because we have the Devil on our side."

"Any crime committed against the Ngo family cannot be hidden under the label of suicide. I affirm that suicide has always been considered incompatible with our religion."

"Let them burn and we shall clap our hands."

"If one has no courage to denounce, if one bows to madness and stupidity, how can one ever hope to cope with the other wrongs of humanity exploited in the same fashion by Communists?"

"I may shock some by saying 'I would beat such provocateurs ten times more if they wore monks robes,' and 'I would clap hands at seeing another monk barbecue show, for one can not be responsible for the madness of others."

"Whoever has the Americans as allies does not need any enemies."

"Now then, I hasten to repeat that these practices [S&M] are certainly not usual or universal among us, but rather are variants practiced by a minority that is not representative of all gay people, although they do make up an identifiable sector that I don't want to leave out (as do many politically correct gay people, who like to give the impression that gay men only sodomize each other on Versace cushions by candlelights to Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach's Suites for Cello.)"

"This pioneer of sexology [Krafft-Ebing] even came to question whether homosexuality might be innate (and people began to forgive us for living, as if it would matter to anyone if being an Atlético de Madrid fan was innate or not.)"