Russian Proverb Quotes
Ask a lot, but take what is offered.
Russian Proverb
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Remark to J. Edgar Hoover who masterminded the forced deportation of Emma Goldman, a leading anarchist of the day. Hoover had not given Goldman or her attorney any notice of the time of her deportation so they were unable to obtain legal stays. Hoover maintained to Goldman that he had given her a "square deal."
Americans have always been ambivalent over negotiating with nations or regimes that are regarded as illegitimate and/or evil. If we do, we are implicitly recognizing them and if we don’t, there are few possibilities of reducing hostilities.
This was one of the principles of Saxon King Alfred in his distribution of 1/4 of his revenue. Typically. Kings would give lands, monies and tax exemptions to the wealthy nobles to ensure their support and loyalty even though they did not need the benefit, and those that needed, did not get. Opponents of George W. Bush and the early 21st century Republicans used this quotation to criticize the policies that would be large tax cuts and other benefits to the wealthy, while assuming that there would be a “trickle down” effect to the others.
Taft contrasted Hughes with Theodore Roosevelt.
When there are disputes between nations, sometimes one or both of the countries take the position that the other is so wrong and immoral that to negotiate with them per se gives them a credibility which they do not deserve. So at times one or both of the opponents places preconditions on discussions. Some politicians and governments have had a belief that negotiating with and enemy is a sign of weakness, and the reality is that often the other side characterizes attempts at negotiations as an indicator that they are faring well under the theory that the other side would not negotiate if they didn’t have to. Those governments which have a policy of talking to everyone under any conditions, avoid this dilemma as talks are not a sign of anything but their normal foreign policy.
Russian proverbs originated in oral history and written texts dating as far back as the 12th century. The Russian language is replete with many hundreds of proverbs (пословица [pɐˈslovʲɪtsə]) and sayings (поговорка [pəɡɐˈvorkə]). The proverbs express a universal concept, have a moral lesson and provide an insight into many aspects of history, culture, and national character of the people who created them. By the 17th century, the proverbs were collected and documented. They were studied in the 19th and 20th centuries. Vladimir Dal was a famous lexicographer of the Russian Empire whose collection was published in Russian language in the late 19th century as The Sayings and Bywords of the Russian People, featuring more than 30,000 entries. They continue to endure in modern literature and folklore. Evidence of this is seen in the collection of Russian anti-proverbs collected by Reznikov.
