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" I knew that I could never win a referendum in Germany. We would have lost a referendum on the introduction of the euro. That's quite clear. I would have lost, and by seven to three. "

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" You didn't just pay lip service to the goal of overcoming the division of Europe and Germany... Rather, you put yourself at the forefront of those who encouraged us on the way to unity. "

Helmut Kohl

Yourself

Service

" Nations with a common currency never went to war against each other. A common currency is more than the money you pay with. "

Helmut Kohl

Never

Money

" Germany is our fatherland; Europe is our future. "

" The most important rule of the new Europe is: There must never again be violence in Europe. "

" If one has no compass, when one doesn't know where one stands and where one wants to go, one can deduce that one has no leadership or interest in shaping events. "

Helmut Kohl

Know

Leadership

" The Christian Democrats always made you feel like the poor relation. "

" Our shared historical experiences led myself and Mitterrand to the decision that we must do everything to prevent further wars. "

" I ask myself where Germany stands today and where it wants to go. "

Helmut Kohl

Myself

Today

" I experienced Nazism as a child. Like many of my generation, I was motivated by the desire to prevent another war at any price. "

" The army is under orders to defend every place. "

" As a German, in view of the history of World War II and the terrible deeds of the Nazi period, I feel a special obligation to help as much as I can to develop European-Israeli relations and thus contribute to ensuring Israel's future and existence. "

" Gorbachev's legacy is that he called time on communism, partially against his will, but in fact, he finished it off. Without violence. Without bloodshed. Beyond that, I am struggling to think of much else in terms of real legacy. "

" We all need Europe, not just those of us in Europe. And we Germans need Europe more than the others. Germany is the country with the longest border, the most neighbours, and is, by population and economic strength, the number one in Europe. "

Helmut Kohl

Need

Strength

" We humans have an abyss inside us. The more power people have, the greater the danger. "

" I have every reason, despite the resentment and exasperation, to be proud. I have nothing better to be proud of than being proud of German unity. "

" I have been underestimated for decades. I have done very well that way. "

" As a child, I personally didn't really get to know any Jews. I was eight years old when the Night of Broken Glass happened. And Ludwigshafen was purely a workers' city, so we didn't have a very big Jewish community. What I did know about the Jews, I heard from my mother. My mother was very much pro-Jewish. "

" We were united not only by political respect for each other, but also by deep mutual sympathy as people. "

" In a democracy, if you don't get the votes, nothing else is possible, no matter how wonderful your dreams. "

" German and European unification are two sides of the same coin. "

" I have made a very good living, for more than 30 years, by being underestimated. "

Helmut Kohl

Than

Years

" If a Chancellor is trying to push something through, he must be a man of power. And if he's smart, he knows when the time is ripe. In one case - the euro - I was like a dictator... The euro is a synonym for Europe. "

" I don't want to give myself grades. I will leave evaluation of my achievements to history. "

" We Germans have learned from history. We are a peace-loving, freedom-loving people. There is only one place for us in the world: at the side of the free nations. "

" For me it is completely clear that our air bases in Germany would be available to the Americans. "

Helmut Kohl

Clear

Germany

" It was a stroke of luck that there were about four to six leaders in power in the mid-'80s who really trusted one another and could really make things happen. "

" I like everything that makes you fat. "

" There must be no question for us that we in the European Union and the eurozone stand by Greece in solidarity. "

" People in Tel Aviv can not imagine, but in 1990, here in Leipzig or Dresden, whoever wanted to buy a car had to wait 14 years. The East Germans worked like people in the West, but the fruits of their labor were harvested by a criminal regime. "

Helmut Kohl

Car

Labor

" My parents were Christians - Catholics, but not in the close-minded sense. I remember my mother to be a very pious woman, but she was never against other religions. "