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" When people come to write about my period of office, I would be very happy if they say that I made a contribution to finding the happy medium again for the Germans. "

Helmut Kohl

They Say

Finding

Happy

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

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

" Political life is like this - elections go back and forth. Representative democracy can only be successful if one sits down and says, 'That's it. I will connect myself,' - as I did - 'connect my existence to a political project.' Then you automatically have in your party a lot of people who say, 'If that fails, so do I'. "

" 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. "

" Where is Germany now and where does it want to go? It's a question being asked by our partners and allies abroad. We have to return - urgently - to our old dependability. We have to make clear for others what we stand for, where we're headed, and that we know where we belong. "

" Isolated decisions, however well-founded they might seem to the individual, and national go-it-alone moves must belong to the past. They should not be the 21st-century method of choice, particularly because the consequences of the European community's actions must often be carried collectively. "

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

" 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

" Peace must be more than the absence of war. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" Where there is no will, no rules or laws can help. "

" Two decisions have damaged the stability both of the euro and of Europe: the premature admission of Greece to the euro area and the breach and subsequent weakening of the stability and growth pact. "

" My childhood ended in 1942. I was 12, and for the next three years, I lived under incessant bombings. It was a life of constant fear. "

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

Helmut Kohl

Than

Years

" When I was elected to head the German government, I was fortunate enough to find a partner in Francois Mitterrand. "

" 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. "

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

" 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. "

" George Bush was for me the most important ally on the road to German unity. "

Helmut Kohl

Most

Road

" I like everything that makes you fat. "

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

" 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. "

" 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

" Europe has, to put it mildly, been in a poor state since the transition to the 21st century. This is down to national issues, European missteps, and an economic and financial crisis that crashed down on us with enough force to dislodge the essential European idea. "

Helmut Kohl

Down

Enough

" Solitary decisions, no matter how well-founded they may appear to individuals, must belong to the past - along with national, unilateralist action. "

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

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

Helmut Kohl

Clear

Germany

" 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. "

" Russia is Germany's most important neighbor in the East, and it will remain so. "