Natan Sharansky Quotations

It is not surprising, then, that in the decade since Oslo began, Arafat used all the resources placed at his disposal to fan the flames of hatred against Israel.

It is important to remember that some of the most serious thinkers once thought that democracy was not compatible with the cultures of Germany, Italy, Japan, Latin America and Russia.

When we are unwilling to draw clear moral lines between free societies and fear societies, when we are unwilling to call the former good and the latter evil, we will not be able to advance the cause of peace because peace cannot be disconnected from freedom.

The only peace that can be made with a dictator is once that must be based on deterrence. For today, the dictator may be your friend, but tomorrow he will need you as an enemy.

Democratic leaders, whose power is ultimately dependent on popular support, are held accountable for failing to improve the lives of their citizens. Therefore, they have a powerful incentive to keep their societies peaceful and prosperous.

Free societies are societies in which the right of dissent is protected.

Can someone within that society walk into the town square and say what they want without fear of being punished for his or her views? If so, then that society is a free society. If not, it is a fear society.

In contrast, fear societies are societies in which dissent is banned.

Only weeks after Oslo began, when nearly all the world and most of Israel was drunk with the idea of peace, I argued that a Palestinian society not constrained by democratic norms would be a fear society that would pose a grave threat to Israel.

The two most important things that can be done to promote democracy in the world is first, to bring moral clarity back to world affairs and second, to link international policies to the advance of democracy around the globe.

I have no doubt that given a real choice, the vast majority of Muslims and Arabs, like everyone else will choose a free society over a fear society.

Non-democratic regimes always need to mobilize their people against external enemies in order to maintain internal stability.

Arafat rejected the deal because, as a dictator who had directed all his energies toward strengthening the Palestinians hatred toward Israel, Arafat could not afford to make peace.

Just as the 99% of Soviet citizens who supported the Soviet regime in 1985 was no indication of what the people inside the USSR really thought, the army of true believers that we think we see in the Arab world is an illusion.

To understand why dictators have a problem with making peace - or at least a genuine peace - the link between the nature of a regime and its external behavior must be understood.

Believe me, the drug of freedom is universally potent.

I was inspired to write this book by those who are sceptical of the power of freedom to change the world.

Japan is not a Western democracy. The Japanese have kept their traditions, culture and heritage, but they have joined the community of free nations.

Of course, there can be serious injustices within free societies.

Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society.

People may believe that there can be a society where dissent is not permitted, but which is nonetheless not a fear society because everyone agrees with one another and therefore no one wants to dissent.

By focusing once and for all on helping the Palestinians build a free society, I have no doubt that an historic compromise between Israelis and Palestinians can be reached and that peace can prevail.

I am optimistic that peace can be achieved in the region because I believe that every society on earth can be free and that if freedom comes to the Middle East, there can be peace.

The three main sources of scepticism are first, that not every people desires freedom second, that democracy in certain parts of the world would be dangerous and third, that there is little the world's democracies can do to advance freedom outside their countries.

This scepticism is the same scepticism I heard a generation ago in the USSR when few thought that a democratic transformation behind the iron curtain was possible.

By helping readers understand these mechanics, I hope they will appreciate why freedom is for everyone, why it is essential for our security and why the free world plays a critically important role in advancing democracy around the globe.

My optimism is not based primarily on the successful march of democracy in recent times but rather is based on the experience of having lived in a fear society and studied the mechanics of tyranny that sustain such a society.

Unfortunately, little attention was paid to how Arafat ruled. In fact, some saw the harsh and repressive nature of Arafat's regime as actually bolstering the prospects for peace.

The message of the free world to any potential Palestinian leadership should be a simple one: Embrace democratic reform and we will embrace you.

There were no dissidents then in the USSR because they were all killed.

The central premise behind Oslo was that if Arafat were given enough legitimacy, territory, weapons and money, he would use his power to fight terror and make peace with Israel.

On the other hand, if the free world is concerned with how a new Palestinian leader governs, then the peace process will have a real chance to succeed.

The prime minister is traveling without trying to make consensus here. I prefer to be with the majority.

But by having a right to dissent and having institutions which protect that right, free societies also have mechanisms to correct those abuses.

If the agreement will be based on the transfer of tens of thousands of Jews, if the agreement will be based on concessions on Jerusalem, no doubt this agreement has no chance to win the support of the Israeli people,

I think we are coming very close to the point where the major decisions have to be made, ... There are still some very serious issues that have to be resolved. I do hope that in the next week, or something like this, a breakthrough will be made.

Just as the sceptics were wrong then, I am convinced they are wrong now about the possibility of freedom spreading to the Middle East.

Terrorists will turn any concession into a weapon against us. It will happen again and again and again.

Bibi Netanyahu believes our people are strong. We will be ready for painful concessions but only when and if we have a partner we can live together with, who also wants to live in peace.

It's as if nothing is being done, ... The public has been assured that there would be a solution for every family, but not one family here has any idea where they will be a week from now.

It's better to have a clear plan -- even if it will mean that he will lose some of the support on the right or the left -- than to have no plan, and as a result constantly to risk (losing) the support of everybody.

It will be very difficult to have such serious discussions or fruitful discussions with the atmosphere of elections because, of course, those decisions will become part of the political issues for the electoral debate,

If the U.S. or the Palestinians think we will give up Jerusalem, they are wrong.

Because of human diversity - different tastes, ambitions, interests, backgrounds, experiences, etc. - differences of opinion will be inevitable.

If he will succeed, if terror will be stopped, then no doubt the road to peace will be open,

I ask you all to pray for a miracle. We all hope a miracle will happen so Ariel Sharon can come back to his family, to his people.

Bush explained his fundamental concept to me, that freedom is not an American invention, but rather a gift from God to all people.

Those who warned that Gorbachev was being put under too much pressure were wrong.

My theory is that security - also against terror - can only be accomplished through global democratization.

Free nations generally look for ways to deal with dictators amicably.

If you have to fight an enemy at a critical point in time, and you have an ally who happens to be a dictator, you don't say: Let's stop fighting right now, because you're not a democrat. That would be ridiculous.

To go again over the history of the struggle of resistance ... and to think 'Where are all these people today Where is the KGB' is very inspiring

When a man is afraid and accedes to fear, he will always find arguments to justify his own surrender.

A simple way to determine whether the right to dissent in a particular society is being upheld is to apply the town square test: Can a person walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm? If he can, then that person is living in a free society. If not, it's a fear society.

As soon as people become a little less fearful, they will also begin demanding more freedom.

When did America forget that it's America?

Imagine if the United States, in its war against Hitler, had said to Stalin: we don't want your support until you make your country democratic.

They tried their best to find a place where I was isolated. But all the resources of a superpower cannot isolate the man who hears a voice of freedom, a voice I heard from the very chamber of my soul.

In dictatorships you need courage to fight evil; in the free world you need courage to see evil.