Chen Shui-bian Quotes

Winning and losing have their significance in a democracy. But there should be no arrogance in victory, nor should there be any despondency in defeat.

I respect everyone, from the homeless brother and sister on the street to the executive that sits in the highest office named President Barack Obama. I respect everyone - but we over-respect no one.

[Referring to Margaret Thatcher:] She is democratic enough to talk down to anyone.

Do not completely defeat your opponents. Leave your opponents some dignity with which to walk off the field. They have been elected by some people and you have no right to dismember them… When you do that, you lose all semblance of leadership.

Be not arrogant because of that which you know; deal with the ignorant as with the learned

The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias; the spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded; the spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned, but has never quite forgotten; that there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest.

Americans are generally decent and fair people with a commitment to sense, but some of us, swept up by our passions, wade too far into a sea of sensibility.

You cannot be democratic one day, and undemocratic on another. It is a state of mind, it is a way of living, and it is an essence of action.

I think I've advanced my views with compassion and tolerance.

Tolerance is carved into the rostrum of the U.S. House of Representatives and intolerance should not be carved into the U.S. Constitution.

America is a model of force and freedom and moderation - with all the coarseness and rudeness of its people.

You are just as capable of making a mistake as anyone else. By insisting too eagerly upon a small right, you may turn it into a wrong against yourself and also against your neighbor.

A dose of humility goes a long way in life and in politics.

I am not better than anyone else just because I play football.

In the name of the rule of law, democracy and human rights, we cannot accept that the rights of individuals (Arab or Muslim) be trampled upon, or that populations are targeted and discriminated against in the name of the war against terrorism.

You can have a certain arrogance, and I think that's fine, but what you should never lose is the respect for the others.

Treating people fairly and with civility is not a bad thing... It would be good for our country if political leaders actually took that to heart.

Sri Yukteswar showed no special consideration to those who happened to be powerful or accomplished; neither did he slight others for their poverty or illiteracy. He would listen respectfully to words of truth from a child, and openly ignore a conceited pundit.

Canada is the homeland of equality, justice and tolerance.

I'm not better than anyone else.

If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.

First of all, I'm no better than the next person.

There can be no democratic society where the interests of any minority … are not protected.

Nobody should consider himself superior to another nor do him harm.

We must be thoroughly democratic and patronize everybody without distinction of class.