Sukarno Quotes

No one shrieked, 'We want Bung Hatta.' I did not need him. Just as also I did not need Sjahrir, who refused to show himself at the time of the reading of the Proclamation. Indeed, I could do it myself, and indeed, I did it alone.

Do good to another man, even when they do not do you good; another will certainly do you good. if there is still shame and fear in one's heart to do good, there will certainly be no progress at all.

At least Russia and China didn't call us names when we smiled sweetly at America.

What, exactly, did Sjahrir do for the Republic? ... His entire underground effort can be summed up by saying that he sat quietly and safely away somewhere listening to a clandestine radio.

I was weaned not on television or Wild West sagas but on stories of nationalism and patriotism. I would sit at my mother's feet by the hour and drink in these exciting tales of the freedom fighters in our family.

Let us not be bitter about the past, but let us keep our eyes firmly on the future.

Like David Copperfield, I was born amidst poverty and grew up in poverty. I did not own shoes. I did not bathe in water from a tap. I did no know about forks and spoons.

How terrifically dynamic is our time! We can mobilize all the spiritual, all the moral, all the political strength of Africa and Asia on the side of peace. Yes, we! We, the people of Asia and Africa!

There is not one state truly alive if it is not as if a cauldron burns and boils in its representative body, and if there is no clash of convictions in it.

Revolution is only truly revolution if it is a continuous struggle-not just an external struggle against an enemy, but an inner struggle, fighting and subduing all negative aspects which hinder or do damage to the course of the revolution. In this light, revolution is ... a mighty symphony of victory over the enemy and over oneself.

Our socialism does not include extreme materialistic concepts, since Indonesia is primarily a God-fearing, God-loving nation. Our socialism is a mixture. We draw political equality from the American Declaration of Independence. We draw spiritual equality from Islam and Christianity. We draw scientific equality from Marx.

We are living in a world of fear. The life of man today is corroded and made bitter by fear: fear of the future, fear of the hydrogen bomb, fear of ideologies. Perhaps this fear is a greater danger than the danger itself because it is fear, which drives men to act thoughtlessly, to act dangerously.

This country, the Republic of Indonesia, does not belong to any group, nor to any religion, nor to any ethnic group, nor to any group with customs and traditions, but the property of all of us from Sabang to Merauke!

Am I not peaceful? We want to be free - completely free. Free to be free. We want to be left alone.

If we truly understand, remember, and love the people of Indonesia, let us accept this principle of social justice, that is, not only political equality, but we must create equality in the economic field, too, which means the best possible well-being.

Upbuilding is necessary for the uplifting of our soul ... Indonesia must be a strong country packed with factories. This is our utopia.

Where Slavery is, there Liberty cannot be; and where Liberty is, there Slavery cannot be.

Which other people in this world stop up holes in their sidewalks with cassava, brothers and sisters? Only Indonesia itself, on account of the abundance of its food.

Conquer the thousands of man may not be called a winner, but be able to conquer yourself is called a brilliant conqueror!

What America did in Vietnam and the Congo - we feel. And as a result come these demonstrations. I am not defending the act of burning USIS books. We deplore it. But we can understand the motives of the students.

The principle of building an economy without foreign monopoly capital has become a principle which, for us, is no longer subject to amendment.

Indonesia is rich in natural resources. Indonesia is rich in manpower with its 103 million inhabitants - not like Malaysia with its 10 million.

I am very unhappy about reports that I was seeking asylum in Manila.

Learning without thinking is useless, but thinking without learning is very dangerous!

It was [the concept of] nationalism that Indonesia was established on. Not the Javanese, not the Sumatran, not the Bornean, Sulawesi, Bali or others, but the Indonesian, that together became the foundation of one nationale staat (nation-state).

If some nation says to us, 'You can have aid, but you have to end confrontation,' then I say, 'Go to hell with your aid.'

We liberate our nation's heart inside of Indonesian independence!! Ibn Saud liberated Arabian's heart inside of Saudi Arabian independence one by one!! Stalin liberated Soviet-Russian's heart inside of Soviet one by one!!

Don't ever forget the history. It will make and change who we are.

It is, of course, true that I have given priority to the settling of the problem of security and the problem of Irian Barat, although I knew that in order to do these things, almost three-quarters of our national product had to be spent.

The defense of the revolution is the defense of the people.

I liked Kennedy. So far, he is the only American president who could talk with me and with whom I could talk. I know Johnson, but I have not yet a clear opinion of him.

Independence can only be obtained and secured by a nation that has its spirit raging with determination: independence or death!

I myself am sometimes fed up with Hatta's policies. Hatta and I sometimes bug each other, but omitting Hatta from the Proclamation Text ... that is the action of a coward!

We must have a blueprint not only for a guided economy but for a social order based on justice and ensuring the well-being of the people.

A thousand of old man are just able to dream, but a young man is able to change the world!

Never, ever forget history.

To intoxicate the masses until they were heady with the wine of inspiration was all I lived for. To me, this was elixir ... I wax lyrical. I literally am overcome, and this is transmitted to my listeners.

Not only should the Indonesian people believe in God, but every Indonesian should believe in his own God.

The sophisticates of Java, the traders of Sumatra, the peasants from the outer islands found no common ground. During siesta time from one to five, the Islamic group met separately, the Nationalist group met separately, the Federalist and Unitarians met separately.

If I am not mistaken, it was a British poet who said that 'no one is properly dressed unless he wears a smile.'

Nationalism cannot flower if it does not grow in the garden of internationalism.

Insofar as Pancasila is concerned, I am only its formulator: a formulator of those feelings which have been present silently in the heart of the Indonesian people.

They, OLDEFO (Old Established Forces), carry out l'exploitation de l'homme par 'homme (the exploitation of man by man). Do not let them live, so that there's no colonialism anymore in the world.

Peking welcomed me with tremendous parades and gun salutes. The people with me are proud of me, proud that our downtrodden country has taken its place among the great nations. And now, people of America, I ask you, why didn't Eisenhower accord me the same respect?

I am fascinated by revolution. I am completely absorbed by it. I am crazed, am obsessed by the romanticism ... Revolution surges, flashes, thunders in almost every corner of the earth ... Brothers and sisters, keep fanning the flames of the leaping fire ... Let us become logs to feed the flames of revolution.

Crush Malaysia! Indonesia may change its tactics, but our goal will remain the same.

I always start from the stand that it is imperialism that needs us, not we who need the imperialists.

Even a child, if he looks at a map of the world, can point out that the Indonesian archipelago forms one unity. On the map, there can be shown a unity of the group of islands between two great oceans - the Pacific Ocean and the Indies Ocean - and between two continents - the continent of Asia and the continent of Australia.

We are not facing great economic difficulties. The Indonesian people are faring reasonably well - just compare us to India or some other countries.