Quotes about commitment
page 21

“In the United States, such collusion with the destroyers of human life on Planet Earth is written all over their actions. It’s beyond evident in the appointment of former oil and gas lobbyists and fellow travelers to positions of power... We are, of course, talking about nothing short of the ultimate crime, but on any given day of our lives, you’d hardly notice that it was underway. Even for an old man like me, it’s a terrifying thing to watch humanity make a decision, however inchoate, to essentially commit suicide. In effect, there is now a suicide watch on Planet Earth. Let’s hope the kids can make a difference.”

Tom Engelhardt (1944) American writer

Suicide Watch on Planet Earth, CounterPunch, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/04/26/suicide-watch-on-planet-earth/(26 April 2019)

Life, Making love, Hope, Travel

“I took time to travel, but I started to realize that I missed that creative outlet—the playing and the interaction and the creativity and the writing a diary for your character. I started to realize that this is something I really feel compelled to explore. I gave myself time with it. I said in my mind, I’ll give myself five years and wholeheartedly commit.”

Isabel Lucas (1985) Australian actress

Isabel Lucas https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/isabel-lucas (October 23, 2011)

Travel, Feeling, Time

“… I had my own personal experiences with prejudice. I was the only child of color in primary school, junior high and high school. I went through all those years feeling like a freak in one all-white school after the other. The family next door wouldn't let their daughter play with me because I was Mexican. I got on a bus once in D.C. with my father, who was very dark, and they told us to go to the back of the bus, where black people had to sit in those years. All this created in me a feeling of empathy and solidarity with people of color and formed the roots of my commitment to fighting for social justice and against racism.”

Elizabeth Martinez (1925) American community organizer, activist, author, and educator

On becoming a political activist in "Unite and Overcome!" https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-1997/unite-and-overcome in Teaching Tolerance (Spring 1997)

People, School, Family, Justice

“[My party is] committed to work co-operatively with every other opposition party and do everything in our power to avoid a catastrophic crash-out Brexit”

Adam Price (1968) Welsh politician and Plaid Cymru leader (born 1968)

Brexit: Opposition MPs agree strategy to block no deal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49483374 BBC News (27 August 2019) <br class="br">2019

“I am a firm believer that you can't have people in your program who just want to win; you must have people who are committed to winning. Players that learn the value of hard work, commitment, teamwork, and sacrifice are the ones that make their teams great.”

Tom Crean (basketball coach) (1966) American college basketball coach

Foreword to Winning Basketball : Techniques and Drills for Playing Better Offensive Basketball (2004) by Ralph L. Pim

People, Making love, Learning

“But true Christians love God and their neighbors as themselves; they commit no evil by the grace of God. It is not necessary to compel them to goodness since they know better what is good than the law-imposing authority. They have a knowledge of God within, which is a knowledge of His commandments and His love. Having His love within they do good to others and are just to all men in accordance with His law so that the authorities which rule the world have no occasion to find them guilty.”

Petr Chelčický book The Net of Faith

Variant: A world contrary to God must be kept within bounds by the world’s sword. But true Christians love God and their neighbors as themselves; they commit no evil by the grace of God. It is not necessary to compel them to goodness since they know better what is good than the law imposing authority.
Source: The Net of Faith (c. 1443), Chapter 95, Summary

Love, Men, God, World

“Personal development is a lifelong commitment to excellence.”

Isaac Mashman (2000) businessman, speaker

Personality

“There’s never been an act done since the beginning, from a kid stealing candy to a dictator committing genocide, that the person doing it didn’t think he was fully justified. That’s a mental trick called rationalizing, and it’s done the human race more harm than anything else you can name.”

Leigh Brackett book The Long Tomorrow

Source: The Long Tomorrow (1955), Chapter 14

Thinking, Personality

“If the soul, through attentiveness, reduces the blindness caused by the love of this world, it will consider its slightest faults to be very grave and will continually shed tears. ... But if the soul persists in its worldly disposition, even though it commits a murder or some other act deserving severe punishment, it takes little notice; and it is quite unable to discern its other faults, often considering them to be signs of progress, and in its wretchedness it is not ashamed to defend them heatedly.”

Diadochos of Photiki (400–486) Byzantine saint

§ 27
On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination (480 AD)

Love, World, Making love, Soul

“Don't rush. Let them judge. Stay committed to your mission.”

Settlemania (1999) Settlemania Is in Indian Video Content Creator and Social Media Expert

“Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling. The Holocaust is the greatest atrocity committed in history. The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene (1974) American politician and businesswoman from the state of Georgia

Statement from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy https://republicanleader.house.gov/leader-mccarthy-condemns-comparisons-to-the-holocaust/, 25 May 2021 <br class="br">About

History, Decision

“To punish the guilty adequately exceeds the power of any civilised man; for the atrocities which have been committed are such as to be imagined and perpetrated only by demons sallying forth from the lowest depths of hell.”

Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784–1865) British politician

Speech in the Guildhall, London, on the Indian Mutiny (9 November 1857), quoted in The Times (10 November 1857), p. 7
1850s

Imagination, Hell

“Turn off thoughts, limit the stimulus and commitment to achieve your goals.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Spegni i pensieri, limitano lo stimolo e l'impegno per raggiungere le tue mete.
Source: prevale.net

“I began with the premise that, deep down, everybody wants to censor something. Human beings, no matter how committed to the principles of free speech, have deep-seated distrust of the open marketplace of ideas, especially when they themselves—or the groups to which they belong—are ‘victims’ of the excesses of free speech.”

Alan M. Dershowitz (1938) American lawyer, author

Source: Shouting Fire: Civil liberties in a Turbulent Age (2002), p. 176

Idea

“An important assumption underlying our commitment to freedom of expression is that truth is a process, not a product.”

Alan M. Dershowitz (1938) American lawyer, author

Source: Shouting Fire: Civil liberties in a Turbulent Age (2002), p. 149

Truth, Freedom

“In society, we do horrible things to one another because we don't see the person it affects. We don't see their face. We don't see them as people. Which was the whole reason the hood was built in the first place, to keep the victims of apartheid out of sight and out of mind. Because if white people ever saw black people as human, they would see that slavery is unconscionable. We live in a world where we don't see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don't live with them. It would be a whole lot harder for an investment banker to rip off people with subprime mortgages if he actually had to live with the people he was ripping off. If we could see one another's pain and empathize with one another, it would never be worth it to us to commit the crimes in the first place.”

Trevor Noah book Born a Crime

page 222
Born a Crime

Pain, People, World, Personality

Swati Maliwal (1984) women activist who fights for women rights

Zee News https://zeenews.india.com/delhi/dcw-chief-swati-maliwal-asks-delhi-lg-anil-baijal-to-fast-track-two-delhi-rape-cases-ensure-death-penalty-for-accused-2308623.html, accessed May 9, 2021

Women, Fear, Law, Girl

“It is now an established fact that there is a complete lack of fear of law in the minds of criminals and instead the laxity of the system emboldens them to commit gruesome crimes against women and girls in the country. The justice delivery mechanism in the country is painfully long and cumbersome which more often than not breaks the spirit of the girl or woman who has been raped,”

Swati Maliwal (1984) women activist who fights for women rights

Zee News https://zeenews.india.com/delhi/dcw-chief-swati-maliwal-asks-delhi-lg-anil-baijal-to-fast-track-two-delhi-rape-cases-ensure-death-penalty-for-accused-2308623.html, accessed May 9, 2021

Women, Fear, Justice, Law

“As long as Russia does not commit a hostile act, I believe that our stand, directed towards localization, must remain peaceful, too.”

Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg (1856–1921) German chancellor during World War I

Letter to the Kaiser (26 July 1914), quoted in Konrad H. Jarauschl, ‘The Illusion of Limited War: Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg's Calculated Risk, July 1914’, Central European History, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Mar., 1969), p. 63

Hostility, Peace

“Commitment is an act, not a word.”

Jean Paul Sartre (1905–1980) French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and …

“The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.”

Anthony Robbins (1960) Author, actor, professional speaker

Imagination

“Unlike utilitarianism, republican theory does not take people's existing preferences, whatever they may be, and try to satisfy them. It seeks instead to cultivate in citizens the qualities of character necessary to the common good of self-government. Insofar as certain dispositions, attachments, and commitments are essential to the realization of self-government, republican politics regards moral character as a public, not merely private, concern. In this sense, it attends to the identity, not just the interests, of its citizens.”

Michael J. Sandel (1953) American political philosopher

Chap. 2. Rights and the Neutral States
Democracy's Discontent (1996)

People, Sense

“Greatness happens when we commit to excellence and make the impossible possible.”

Vladimer Botsvadze

“Difficulty incites commitment.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) La difficoltà incita l'impegno.
Source: prevale.net

“A crime is something someone else commits.”

John Steinbeck book The Winter of Our Discontent

Source: The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), Part Two, Chapter XX

“My administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right”

Joe Biden (1942) 47th Vice President of the United States (in office from 2009 to 2017)

" Texas enforces restrictive abortion ban; FL advocates say it’s ‘part of a national agenda’ https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/09/01/texas-enforces-restrictive-abortion-ban-fl-advocates-say-its-part-of-a-national-agenda/" published" (September 1, 2021) <br class="br">2021, September 2021

“You complain that I have committed illegal acts. Of course I have. We all have. The Revolution is illegal. The fall of the Bastille was illegal. The formation of this republic was illegal, as illegal as liberty itself. Citizens, did you want a revolution without a revolution?”

Maximilien Robespierre (1758–1794) French revolutionary lawyer and politician

Misc Quotes
Original: (fr) Citoyens, vouliez-vous une révolution sans révolution?

“Young women deserve a province that encourages them to take on leadership roles without fear of sexism. If we want more young women, and more people of colour to enter politics, we must commit to creating environments that respect that.”

Bowinn Ma (1985) Canadian politician

City News 1130 https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/10/12/bowinn-ma-questions-bc-liberal-party-leadership-after-sexist-comments-in-video/, City News 1130: Bowinn Ma questions BC Liberal Party leadership after sexist comments in video, October 11, 2020

Women, People, Fear

“Once I'm committed to a role, I will go very deep into it, even when I'm not at work. I'll keep on studying the script, maybe 40 or 50 times. I might call a scriptwriter at three in the morning to say I've thought of something new.”

Tony Leung (1962) Hong Kong actor

"'It never gets any easier'" in The Guardian (23 February 2004) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/feb/23/1

Study, Time

“We are finally achieving a mass consciousness. We're seeing a widespread awareness and commitment to anti-racism that we have long needed. People are now alert and active because the pandemic demonstrated how interconnected our lives are.”

Opal Tometi (1984) Nigerian–American writer, strategist and community organizer

Black Lives Matter Was Always Designed to Be a Global Movement, Vice] (7 July 2020)

People

“Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn (1944) American academic

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (2005)

“See the big picture. You are committed to writing or finding out about it. Continue under all circumstances. Don't be rigid though.”

Natalie Goldberg book Writing Down the Bones

Essay, "No hindrances". p.145
Writing Down the Bones (1986)

“Having established the limits beyond which partisanship ceases to be scientifically legitimate, let me argue the case in favour of legitimate partisanship, both from the point of view of the scientific or scholarly discipline and from that of the cause to which the scholar feels committed.”

Eric Hobsbawm (1917–2012) British academic historian and Marxist historiographer

Chap. 9 : Partisanship
On History (1997)

Feeling

“We mustn’t let our hands be bound by commitments to third parties who do not meet their own obligations.”

Bronisław Komorowski (1952) Polish politician, president of Poland

"Polish president warns in Berlin of rebirth of 1930s nationalism" in Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-poland-president/polish-president-warns-in-berlin-of-rebirth-of-1930s-nationalism-idUSKBN0H51C420140910 (10 September 2014)

“We cannot accept turning perpetrators and those responsible for committing cruel crimes against both innocent people and invaded countries into victims. Together - in the name of those who perished and for the good of our common future - we must preserve the truth.”

Mateusz Morawiecki (1968) Prime Minister of Poland

"Statement by the Prime minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki" https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/statement-by-the-prime-minister-of-poland-mateusz-morawiecki (29 December 2019)

People, Truth, Future, Country

“I crossed Africa from East to West and from West to East, and I never saw any excesses committed. I do not think that from this point of view there is a single sovereign living who has done so much for humanity as Leopold II.”

Henry Morton Stanley (1841–1904) Welsh journalist and explorer

Brief of Henry I. Kowalsky, of the New York bar, attorney and counsellor to Leopold II. https://archive.org/details/briefofhenryikow00kowa/page/28/mode/2up

Thinking

“It would be deemed foolish to repay a spiritual separation that Adam and Eve committed, with the death of the body only.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

Death

“The list of genocides committed on Earth are endless, the fact that we never learned or know about them does not mean they did not exist.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

Learning

“Professional success requires ... drive, initiative, commitment, involvement, and -above all- enthusiasm.”

Tom Peters (1942) American writer on business management practices

21 June 2021
Tom Peters Daily, Weekly Quote

Success

“My new responsibility is higher, it requires renewed vigour, commitment and strength, the prayers of my brethren are needed. I need your prayers to succeed, I need your prayers to take catholic church and the society to the promised land.”

Matthew Ishaya Audu (1959) Nigerian catholic priest

Cleric urges Nigerians to pray for national unity, development https://newsdiaryonline.com/cleric-urges-nigerians-to-pray-for-national-unity-development/ (May 10, 2021)

“I’d also like to say to our priests: we can’t fail to talk to our people about these real sins that affect the lives of our people. If we talk about sins they don’t commit, of what good is that?”

Joseph Fred Naumann (1949) Catholic archbishop

Archbishop Naumann: “If the Church is silent on the destruction of life, we’re being negligent” https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/12/04/archbishop-naumann-if-the-church-is-silent-on-the-destruction-of-life-were-being-negligent/ (December 4, 2017)

People

“An overtly expressed political commitment does not debar a scientist from viewing nature accurately—if only because no honest scientist or effective political activist would be foolish enough to advance a program in evident discord with the world as we find it.”

Stephen Jay Gould book An Urchin in the Storm

Source: An Urchin in the Storm (1987) "Nurturing Nature", p. 150

World, Nature

“Eat that money without compromising with them. If they come to bribe you, accept the money but don’t vote for them because you will be alone while voting. Do not fear because you will have committed no sin and God cannot be angry with you.”

Matthias Ssekamaanya (1936) Ugandan Roman Catholic bishop

Source: ‘Eat’ the money, but vote development, says bishop https://observer.ug/news-headlines/36415-eat-the-money-but-vote-development-says-bishop (February 18, 2015)

Money, God, Fear

“Never were there more gross absurdities, nor half so many in so short a time, committed in any public meeting; and for a National Assembly never did the Church of Christ see the like.”

William Laud (1573–1645) Archbishop of Canterbury

Source: Letter to the Marquis of Hamilton (3 December 1638), quoted in The Works of the Most Reverend Father in God, William Laud, sometime Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Volume VI—Part II. Letters—Notes on Bellarmine (1857), p. 547

Time, Christ

“When several imperialist powers seek to plunder the weaker nations of the world, the result is an imperialist world war for the redistribution of colonies. And this crime, the most monstrous in world history, is committed by the bourgeoisie under the banner of “nationalism.””

Liu Shaoqi (1898–1969) 2nd President of the People's Republic of China (1898-1969)

Internationalism and Nationalism (1952) <br class="br">Source: "1.The Bourgeois-Nationalist Concept of the Nation" https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/liu-shaoqi/1952/internationalism_nationalism/ch01.htm

War, World, History

“We have depended on donor countries for scientific development for so long. It's time we commit more resources in our national budget to advance science and technology.”

Bingu wa Mutharika (1934–2012) politician and economist (1934-2012)

Source: Bingu wa Mutharika (2007) cited in: " Malawi president makes post-summit pledges https://www.scidev.net/global/news/malawi-president-makes-postsummit-pledges/" in SciDev.Net, 1 February 2007.

Science, Time, Dependency, Country

“As we ring in the New Year, we hope that it will bring new opportunities for us. Of course, we hope luck will be on our side, but we understand that making our dreams reality primarily depends on us, on what we prioritise in our daily lives, on our ability to commit to our projects and achieve concrete, tangible results.”

Vladimir Putin (1952) President of Russia, former Prime Minister

2021

Dreams, Hope, Understanding, Reality

“The fact that you buy our diamonds is by itself an act of commitment to our country- wherever you are, you carry a bit of Botswana with you”

Mokgweetsi Masisi (1962) President of Botswana

Source: https://www.debeersgroup.com/~/media/Files/D/De-Beers-Group-V2/documents/company-news/2019/MEDIA%20RELEASE%20Dr%20Mokgweetsi%20Masisi%20President%20of%20the%20Republic%20of%20Botswana%20opens%20the%20JCK%20Las%20Vegas%20sho.pdf HIS EXCELLENCY, DR MOKGWEETSI MASISI, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA OPENS JCK LAS VEGAS SHOW, 31 May 2019, Retrieved 14th January 2022

Country

“A congregation is supposed to assess a person's mental health during formation. It is a dangerous signal if a nun commits suicide at the slightest provocation. We have to reassess our system's effectiveness.”

Paul Antony Mullassery (1960)

Source: Young Nun´s Suicide Shocks The Church In Kerala https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/2008/08/12/young-nuns-suicide-shocks-the-church-in-kerala&post_id=49014 (12 August 2008)

Health, Suicide, Personality

“In trying to work for you, we might have failed to take good care of your souls as expected. We ask for your forgiveness in this Year of Mercy. We ask a bit a bit of amnesty from you. We should humbly acknowledge before God and his people the fact that in the history of our priesthood, the dark presence of sin is also found, so there is the need for us in this Year of Mercy to commit ourselves fully to the search for holiness.”

Robert Ndlovu (1955) Archbishop of Harare

Source: Archbishop of Harare celebrates Chrism Mass http://www.archivioradiovaticana.va/storico/2016/03/24/archbishop_of_harare_celebrates_chrism_mass/en-1217797 (24 March 2016)

God, People, Soul, History

“Patriotism means different things to different people. For me it entails citizen solidarity in promoting justice at home and resisting official lies, apologetics, euphemisms, crime and tyranny. Love of country requires a commitment to truth and readiness to counter «fake news » and skewed political «narratives.»”

Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official

Internationally, patriotism means averting harm from one’s country by pro-actively seeking dialogue and compromise, so as to contribute to peace and justice – pax et iustitia.
2021

Love, People, Truth, Justice

“People on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are Chinese. China will not commit to giving up the un-peaceful means for reunification because this is a deterrent”

Qin Gang (1966) politician

"China's ambassador to the U.S. warns of 'military conflict' over Taiwan" in NPR https://www.npr.org/2022/01/28/1076246311/chinas-ambassador-to-the-u-s-warns-of-military-conflict-over-taiwan (28 January 2022)

People, Peace

“We are convinced that the future of the Church depends on the quality of its priests. This is why our Dicastery considers formation, especially priesthood, as a priority, and is strongly committed to supporting not only formators but also the formation structures in mission territories.”

Protase Rugambwa (1960) Tanzanian bishop

Archbishop Rugambwa to Rectors and vice-Rectors of Seminaries: "Forming priests according to the heart of God" http://www.fides.org/en/news/65594-VATICAN_Archbishop_Rugambwa_to_Rectors_and_vice_Rectors_of_Seminaries_Forming_priests_according_to_the_heart_of_God (20 February 2019)

Support, Future, Dependency

“We are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom — that we’re on a frontier of freedom, and that your fight is a fight for everyone. And so our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done.”

Nancy Pelosi (1940) American politician, first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, born 1940

Remarks to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, quoted in "Pelosi makes unannounced trip to Kyiv, becoming highest-ranking US official to meet with Zelensky since the war began" by Michelle Watson and Eliza Mackintosh, CNN https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/01/politics/pelosi-zelensky-kyiv-ukraine-intl/index.html] (1 May 2022)]; also in "Pelosi meets Zelenskyy in Ukraine, says commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done'", Global News (1 May 2022) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga34dmkMwBU

Freedom, Fight

“It's a little bit more of a challenge, I think, for women, but, if you're willing to put in the work and be committed and have a family and circle of support around you, you'll be able to do it, and thankfully, I do, so I can serve my district.”

Kate Klunk (1982) American politician

Pa. ranks poorly in women holding public office, but York County 'a different story' https://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/2018/02/22/pa-ranks-poorly-women-holding-public-office-but-york-county-different-story/332822002/ (22 February 2018)

Women, Family, Support, Thinking

“The virus of hate threatens our safety, our institutions, our democracy, our freedoms, and not least, our common humanity. Let us commit ourselves to working together for a more peaceful, just, and loving world.”

Gary Locke (1950) American politician

"Gary Locke keynotes anti-hate summit" in Northwest Asian Weekly https://nwasianweekly.com/2021/10/gary-locke-keynotes-anti-hate-summit/ (29 October 2021)

Love, Hate, World, Peace

“Baptism is the washing away of evils that were in us before, but sins committed after baptism are washed away by tears.”

John Climacus book The Ladder of Divine Ascent

7:6
The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Tear, Evil

“All men lie to you. When they tell you that they love you, it’s a lie… All men hate you, ladies, they hate you. Because you prevent men from thriving… This is why all the crimes committed in the world are women’s fault.”

Vladimir Zhirinovsky (1946–2022) Russian politician and political activist

"The Best of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the Clown Prince of Russian Politics" in VICE https://www.vice.com/en/article/xd5q47/the-best-of-vladimir-zhirinovsky-russias-craziest-politician

Love, Women, Men, Hate

“As a liberal democracy, we’re also committed to promoting universal values like human rights, gender equality and the rule of law. We’ve always believed in these values, it’s what makes us who we are.”

Scott Morrison (1968) 30th Prime Minister of Australia

" Our Common Hope, UN General Assembly National Statement" https://www.pm.gov.au/media/our-common-hope-un-general-assembly-national-statement (26 September 2020)

Law, Democracy, Universe

“Leave aside craving for other than God: anything else is pseudo thought. Except the Real One, all things are perishable. Each instant concentrate on the Real; undoubtedly this is the committed way.”

Khwaja Ghulam Farid (1845–1901) 19th-century sufi Punjabi poet of the punjab , polyglot, scholar and writer

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2004), p. 299

God, Way