Archibald Cary Coolidge Quotes

I cannot see anything but disaster in delaying to let the natives know that if the English government is non—aggressive it is so from a sense of justice, and from no want of power.

Annexation is an ugly word, and ugly deeds have been done under it—but the word need not frighten us and the deeds by no means be repeated.

It is in the nature of imperialism that citizens of the imperial power are always among the last to know-or care-about circumstances in the colonies.

Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.

Colonialism is an idea born in the West that drives Western countries - like France, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain - to occupy countries outside of Europe.

The so-called modern education, with all its defects, however, does others so much more good than it does the Negro, because it has been worked out in conformity to the needs of those who have enslaved and oppressed weaker peoples.

Instruction! Instruction! is what the Boers lack above all else; they call themselves Christians, and Kaffirs and Hottentots heathen, and for this reason they believe that they are permitted anything.

The English have found to their detriment how impolitic it is to oppress their subjects.

Colonialism must be abolished in this world as it is not in conformity with humanity and justice

[Referring to Africans:] Whatever happens, we have got the Maxim Gun, and they have not.

All colonies are oppressed peoples.

When the white man turns tyrant [colonialism], it is his own freedom he destroys.

Dominion by land or sea will appear equally destitute of attraction, when it comes to be generally understood, that all its advantages rest with the rulers, and that the subjects at large derive no benefit whatever.

Nothing can justify the arrogant assumption that a clique of foreigners has the right to decide on the lives of a majority.

Belgium’s deplorable record of inhumanity as a colonial power in the Congo was surpassed only by that of Germany in South-West Africa.

The gulf between imperial ideals and empire on the ground has customarily proved disillusioning not only for colonial peoples but also for some in the occupying power.

Instead of exporting what they perceived to be rational, modern, humane government to their colonies, the British often found themselves propping up deeply unattractive and corrupt princelings and client rulers because this was the cheapest way of maintaining control.

Colonialism is known in its primitive form, that is to say, by the permanent settling of repressive foreign powers, with an army, services, policies. This phase has known cruel colonial occupations which have lasted 300 years in Indonesia.

These wars appear also to have given its death blow to colonialism and to imperialism in its colonial form, under which weaker peoples were treated as possessions to be economically exploited. At least we hope that such colonialism is on the way out.

We have not invaded anyone. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them.

Modern life is organised so that you benefit at the expense of the other, and the most extreme example of that is a camp.

Keeping small nations enslaved because of the deals between the great nations or because of any pragmatic considerations that might have been there are totally unacceptable.

Vietnamese must be made to feel that they are racial inferiors with no right to national identity.

I'm concerned about - the oppression of the poor.

Those who invest in South Africa should not think they are doing us a favor; they are here for what they get out of our cheap and abundant labor, and they should know that they are buttressing one of the most vicious systems.