Madeleine Albright Quotes

We have to move from our devotion to independence, through an understanding of interdependence

I have an interesting perspective on depending on others. I think it gives people a chance to serve. And I'm not so much big on independence, as I am on interdependence. I'm not talking about co-dependency, I'm talking about giving people the opportunity to practicing love with its sleeves rolled up.

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make

God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore our own dependence, or refuse to acknowledge that others depend upon us in more respects than the payment of weekly wages; but the thing must be, nevertheless. Neither you nor any other master can help yourselves. The most proudly independent man depends on those around him for their insensible influence on his character - his life.

Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it's now impossible if you want to actually get anything done. All our productivity, leverage and insight comes from being part of a community, not apart from it. The goal, I think, is to figure out how to become more dependent, not less.

The American culture ideal of the "self-made-man," of everyone "standing on his own feet" seemed as tragic a picture as the initiative-destroying dependence on a benevolent despot. He felt and perceived clearly that we all need continuous help from each other, and that this type of interdependence is the greatest challenge to maturity of individual and group functioning.

In the progress of personality, first comes a declaration of independence, then a recognition of interdependence.

One man is not enough.

Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being.

There's no such thing as an independent person.

Remember you don't do anything in isolation.

I believe that national sovereignties will shrink in the face of universal interdependence.

Life doesn't make any sense without interdependence. We need each other, and the sooner we learn that, the better for us all.

No one person is an island.

We can't return to the 19th century, draw up our drawbridges and say, we don't have anything to do with each other, Germany will not work with the Netherlands, the UK will not work with France. That's ludicrous. We are condemned to work with each other.

It drives me nuts how I rely on my wife for everything. I can't imagine a day without her!

Most people depend on a lot of other people.

Nothing can be by itself alone, no one can be by himself or herself alone, everyone has to inter-be with every one else. That is why, when you look outside, around you, you can see yourself.

I am a very independent person, and I, you know, I maintain that independence, but, you know, certain things - I mean, it takes, you know, it's just much easier for other people if other people can help you every now and again.

I have long believed this interdependence defines the new world we live in.

Everybody is someone else's instrument.

States working together can achieve more than what even the most powerful state can accomplish by itself.

Independence ... is middle-class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth

We do live, like it or not, in a world that is deeply interdependent. 9-11 proved that even security is something that we cannot achieve by ourselves.