Nobel lecture (2001)
Context: A genocide begins with the killing of one man — not for what he has done, but because of who he is. A campaign of 'ethnic cleansing' begins with one neighbour turning on another. Poverty begins when even one child is denied his or her fundamental right to education. What begins with the failure to uphold the dignity of one life, all too often ends with a calamity for entire nations.
In this new century, we must start from the understanding that peace belongs not only to states or peoples, but to each and every member of those communities. The sovereignty of States must no longer be used as a shield for gross violations of human rights. Peace must be made real and tangible in the daily existence of every individual in need. Peace must be sought, above all, because it is the condition for every member of the human family to live a life of dignity and security.
“We believe that human rights transcend boundaries and must prevail over state sovereignty.”
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José Ramos-Horta 1
former president and prime minister of East Timor 1949Related quotes
“The human spirit must prevail over technology.”
Report of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order on the adverse impacts of free trade and investment agreements on a democratic and equitable international order http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IntOrder/Pages/Reports.aspx.
2015, Report submitted to the UN General Assembly
1920s, The Reign of Law (1925)
“The arts have always transcended national boundaries as the haiku demonstrates.”
An unpublished paper of 1907, as quoted in The Rising American Empire (1960) by Richard Warner Van Alstyne, p. 201; also quoted in On Power and Ideology (1987) by Noam Chomsky; accounts of this as being from a lecture of 15 April 1907 seem to be incorrect.
1900s
“Struggle of power is natural in human because with power their individuality prevails over others.”
"Humanity", Ch.IV, "Rule: Power and Order" Part I
Oscar Iden Lecture Series, Lecture 3: "The State of Individuals" (1976)