“The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more so because these worlds are never divided by a sharp line: everyone has a small part of himself in both.”Václav Havel book Disturbing the PeaceSource: Disturbing the Peace (1986), Ch. 5
“I appeal to all pupils, students and young people, asking you to focus on the horizons that are opening up for you, and which you could only dream of a year ago. Our future will depend on your desire for education and moral values as well as on your entrepreneurial spirit.”Václav Havel New Year's Address to the Nation (1991)
“True enough, the country is calm. Calm as a morgue or a grave, would you not say?”Václav Havel Letter to Husák
“Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so it is the basic law of life to be ever more highly structured and to struggle against entropy.”Václav Havel Letter to Husák
“We have discovered that what a year ago seemed to be a neglected house is essentially a ruin.This is not a pleasant fact, and it is not surprising that all of us are rather annoyed and disappointed about it.”Václav Havel New Year's Address to the Nation (1991)