“I have a fundamental faith in folk, that people are interesting and good.”
Martin Firrell (1963) British artist and activist
Quoted by Ruth Gledhill in The Times (10 October 2008).
“Most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally evil, but by people being fundamentally people.”
Last update Sept. 29, 2023. History
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Terry Pratchett796
English author 1948–2015Related quotes
Malcolm Bradbury (1932–2000) English author and academic
Source: Eating People is Wrong (1959), Ch. 5
Christian Dior (1905–1957) French fashion designer
As cited in: Alison Behnke (2012) The Little Black Dress and Zoot Suits, p. 18
The Little Dictionary of Fashion, 1954
John E. Hare (1949) British philosopher
Source: “Evolutionary Theory and Theological Ethics” (2012), p. 251
“The fundamental premise of liberalism is the moral incapacity of the American people.”
Alan Keyes (1950) American politician
Christian Coalition Dinner, February 6, 1999. http://renewamerica.us/archives/speeches/99_02_06christianco.htm. <br class="br">2009
“They have fundamentally different problems than other people.”
Chris Murphy (1973) American politician
On Washington politicians, "Chris Murphy: ‘Soul-Crushing’ Fundraising Is Bad For Congress" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/07/chris-murphy-fundraising_n_3232143.html, Huffington Post, 7 May 2013.
Arundhati Roy (1961) Indian novelist, essayist
Source: Articles, Interview with Arundhati Roy, by David Barsamian (July 16, 2007)
“Courtesy is fundamental: sometimes it keeps at bay even snarling people.”
Fausto Cercignani (1941) Italian scholar, essayist and poet
Examples of self-translation (c. 2004), Quotes - Zitate - Citations - Citazioni
Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic
As quoted in The Pillars of Economic Understanding : Factors and Markets (2000) by Mark Perlman and Charles Robert McCann
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2015, Remarks to the United Nations General Assembly (September 2015)
Context: I understand democracy is frustrating. Democracy in the United States is certainly imperfect. At times, it can even be dysfunctional. But democracy -- the constant struggle to extend rights to more of our people, to give more people a voice -- is what allowed us to become the most powerful nation in the world. It's not simply a matter of principle; it's not an abstraction. Democracy -- inclusive democracy -- makes countries stronger. When opposition parties can seek power peacefully through the ballot, a country draws upon new ideas. When a free media can inform the public, corruption and abuse are exposed and can be rooted out. When civil society thrives, communities can solve problems that governments cannot necessarily solve alone. When immigrants are welcomed, countries are more productive and more vibrant. When girls can go to school, and get a job, and pursue unlimited opportunity, that’s when a country realizes its full potential. […] And I believe that what is true for America is true for virtually all mature democracies. And that is no accident. We can be proud of our nations without defining ourselves in opposition to some other group. We can be patriotic without demonizing someone else. We can cherish our own identities -- our religion, our ethnicity, our traditions -- without putting others down. Our systems are premised on the notion that absolute power will corrupt, but that people -- ordinary people -- are fundamentally good; that they value family and friendship, faith and the dignity of hard work; and that with appropriate checks and balances, governments can reflect this goodness.