“We would do absolutely nothing. Now that's a blunt, truthful answer.”

When asked what a Labor government would do if Indonesia were to invade East Timor, in an interview three days before the invasion. Sydney Morning Herald (5 December 1975)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "We would do absolutely nothing. Now that's a blunt, truthful answer." by Gough Whitlam?
Gough Whitlam photo
Gough Whitlam 10
Australian politician, 21st Prime Minister of Australia 1916–2014

Related quotes

Mario Cuomo photo

“How simple it seems now. We thought the Sermon on the Mount was a nice allegory and nothing more. What we didn't understand until we got to be a little older was that it was the whole answer, the whole truth.”

Mario Cuomo (1932–2015) American politician, Governor of New York

Address at Iona College (1984)
Context: How simple it seems now. We thought the Sermon on the Mount was a nice allegory and nothing more. What we didn't understand until we got to be a little older was that it was the whole answer, the whole truth. That the way — the only way — to succeed and to be happy is to learn those rules so basic that a shepherd's son could teach them to an ignorant flock without notes or formulae. <!-- p. 934

“Poetry is nothing less than an aspiration to absolute truth.”

Dennis O'Driscoll (1954–2012) Irish poet, critic

Interview wiyh Kieran Owens ' The Event Guide' December 2002
Other Quotes

Richard Stallman photo

“Without absolute certainty, what do we do? We do the best we can. Injustice is happening now; suffering is happening now. We have choices to make now.”

Richard Stallman (1953) American software freedom activist, short story writer and computer programmer, founder of the GNU project

2000s, Thus Spake Stallman (2000)
Context: Religious people often say that religion offers absolute certainty about right and wrong; "god tells them" what it is. Even supposing that the aforementioned gods exist, and that the believers really know what the gods think, that still does not provide certainty, because any being no matter how powerful can still be wrong. Whether gods exist or not, there is no way to get absolute certainty about ethics. Without absolute certainty, what do we do? We do the best we can. Injustice is happening now; suffering is happening now. We have choices to make now. To insist on absolute certainty before starting to apply ethics to life decisions is a way of choosing to be amoral.

“It is absolutely clear to everyone that the reasons for such a disastrous war as we have endured for seven years now have nothing to do with the demand for democracy or freedom. They have much more to do with a dirty game of world economics.”

Joseph Tobji (1971) archeparch of Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo

“If it weren‘t for the Church, we‘d be dead by now” https://acninternational.org/werent-church-wed-dead-now/ (6 February 2018)

Derek Parfit photo
William James photo

“We have nothing to do but to receive, resting absolutely upon the merit, power, and love of our Redeemer.”

William James (1842–1910) American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist

Reported in Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895) edited by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, p. 225
1880s

Nicholas of Cusa photo

“All we know of the truth is that the absolute truth, such as it is, is beyond our reach.”

De Docta Ignorantia (On Learned Ignorance) (1440)

Anne Rice photo

Related topics