Sun Yat-sen Quotes

Nationality is the miracle of political independence; race is the principle of physical analogy.

I am a Canadian, a man and a Black man in that order.

A portion of mankind may be said to constitute a Nationality if they are united among themselves by common sympathies which do not exist between them and any others—which make them co-operate with each other more willingly than with other people, desire to be under the same government, and desire that it should be government by themselves or a portion of themselves exclusively.

A man's ethnic identity has more to do with a personal awareness than with geography.

The fallacies of the Melting Pot theory have also become obvious. Years before the war [WWI] it had become increasingly apparent that the Melting Pot was no longer successfully performing its function; that the American population was losing its homogeneous character; that various nationalities of recent immigrants were forming more and more compact racial "blocs," each bloc tenaciously maintaining its own racial character, customs, and traditions.

It was very hard for me, for most of my life, to feel American, or call myself American, and that is a very complicated topic that would require a very long conversation.

People think that being Korean is all one thing.

Being formed into a nation takes some doing.

Everything that came out of Europe, every blue-eyed thing, is already an American. And as long as you and I have been over here, we aren't Americans yet.

People are far more willing to fight for their country—for their history, their soil, their common religious identity—than they are for an abstract political body created by fiat [as with the EU].

I am constantly disappointing people up in Scotland by not being Scottish!

If someone doubts our right to exist - be it on the hills of Umm al-Fahem or in Munich's beer halls, in Gaza's crowded streets or in the thick woods of Babi Yar - it's their problem. Proud states do not break into wails and crawl under the carpet when they discover someone doesn't love them.

The language of politics is spoken in the first-person plural, and for Conservatives, the duty of the politician is to maintain that first-person plural in being.

I'd rather be Welsh than English, that's for sure.

My identity and my background still remain with me when I go to a foreign country. I have kept my nationality.

You know, in Russia we say there are three things you can't choose: your parents, your gender and your president.

National identity does not figure in the Tamil way of thinking.

As a child, I didn't even realize I was Chinese. I was Singaporean, but my identity was wrapped up in the culture I was experiencing every day.

The only people who should play for England are English people.

Who does get to claim Americanness? You know, my brother was born in this country. And is he seen as American? So, I mean, it brings up a lot of interesting questions.

I was born in Switzerland. Everyone thinks I'm Swiss, but I'm actually German. I'm from Germany. It's a small country. You don't have as many great actors there, of course.

The State of Israel is a state that was formed before the people were even in it. You have to understand: In India, in Burma, in Pakistan - all of the people were already there. Their problem was for the English to leave so they could be independent.

I may be born in the U.K., but nobody takes away from the fact that I'm an Arab, and I'm proud to be Arab.

It would be absurd to say I'm not British - you can hear it when I speak.

I'm comfortable, culturally I'm American, my perspectives are American, but from an aesthetic perspective do other people look at me and think that I'm American?