“I am not the one trying to speed things up. We are being driven.”

—  Helmut Kohl

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. The idea of German reunification, often discussed but considered unrealistic, once again became a subject of heated debate. Reunification now appeared inevitable, but scarcely anyone ventured to prophesy how soon it would come. German chancellor Helmut Kohl remarked those words when was accused of pushing unification plans too fast.
Awake! magazine, 12 - 22 - 1991; in its article The Dream of European Unity.

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 "I am not the one trying to speed things up. We are being driven." by Helmut Kohl?
Helmut Kohl photo
Helmut Kohl 19
former chancellor of West Germany (1982-1990) and then the … 1930–2017

Related quotes

Melissa Lee photo

“I am expecting to come second, at least…I am not putting in all these hours and putting up with media trying to come second, I am not…I am trying to win this damn thing.”

Melissa Lee (1966) New Zealand politician

Nats ask Act MP to lay off Melissa Lee, Patrick, Gower, The New Zealand Herald, 23 May 2009, 2010-07-13 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10574128,
After the radio interview
Mount Albert by-election campaign, 2009

Isaac Asimov photo

“I am not a speed reader. I am a speed understander.”

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, known for his works of science fiction …
Jennifer Beals photo

“I am strong-willed, and I am driven, and I am passionate…but I don’t have…a central cause…a motivating cause, I don’t know what that would be…other than trying to tell the truth when I work.”

Jennifer Beals (1963) American actress and a former teen model

Interview with Jian Gomeshi, CBC Radio Q (16 February 2011) http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/QTV_on_bol...2/ID=1886977325/.

Alfie Kohn photo

“Very few things are as dangerous as a bunch of incentive-driven individuals trying to play it safe.”

Alfie Kohn (1957) American author and lecturer

Punished by Rewards

“Turn," Liz said, trying not to hide her impatience at being forced to read at non-speed-of-light pace.”

Ally Carter book Only the Good Spy Young

Source: Only the Good Spy Young

“[Talking about Richard Hammond's high-speed dragster crash] That should be the anti-speeding advert. It should be footage of Richard Hammond trying to remember his own wedding day. [Mimicking Richard Hammond] "She was wearing black… or was it red? Am I married?"”

Frankie Boyle (1972) Scottish comedian

Mock the Week

Mark Manson photo

“I try to live with few rules, but one that I’ve adopted over the years is this: if it’s down to me being screwed up, or everybody else being screwed up, it is far, far, far more likely that I’m the one who’s screwed up.”

Mark Manson (1984) American writer and blogger

Source: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016), Chapter 6, “You’re Wrong About Everything (But So Am I)” (pp. 145-146)

Alan Watts photo

“I want to make one thing absolutely clear. I am not a Zen Buddhist, I am not advocating Zen Buddhism, I am not trying to convert anyone to it. I have nothing to sell. I'm an entertainer.”

Alan Watts (1915–1973) British philosopher, writer and speaker

Alan Watts, on Zen (2015) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-3FJs2pz8
Context: I want to make one thing absolutely clear. I am not a Zen Buddhist, I am not advocating Zen Buddhism, I am not trying to convert anyone to it. I have nothing to sell. I'm an entertainer. That is to say, in the same sense, that when you go to a concert and you listen to someone play Mozart, he has nothing to sell except the sound of the music. He doesn’t want to convert you to anything. He doesn’t want you to join an organization in favor of Mozart's music as opposed to, say, Beethoven's. And I approach you in the same spirit as a musician with his piano or a violinist with his violin. I just want you to enjoy a point of view that I enjoy.

“The only thing faster than the speed of thought is the speed of forgetfulness. Good thing we have other people to help us remember.”

Vera Nazarian (1966) American writer

Source: The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

Stephen King photo

“I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.”

Stephen King (1947) American author

Source: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Related topics