Serbia Quotes

Serbia has shown enough patience, but it has also sent a clear and strong message that the law must be respected and that no one is stronger than the state. ~ Ivica Dacic

In one area in Serbia two villages have been reduced to ashes. In Greece 220 men of one village have been shot. In France there are extensive shootings while I write. Certainly more than a thousand people are murdered in this way every day and another thousand German men are habituated to murder. May I know this and yet sit at my table in my heated flat and have tea? What shall I say when I am asked: And what did you do during that time? How can anyone know these things and still walk around free? ~ Helmuth James Graf Von Moltke

We have carried out the attempted premeditated murder of an entire nation. We were caught in that criminal act and have been obstructed. Now we have to suffer the punishment ... In the Balkan Wars, Serbia not only doubled its territory, but also its external enemies. ~ Dimitrije Tucovic

My roots are very closely tied to the DNA of the brand. Growing up in Serbia where women are unapologetically very feminine, I came to London and realised that I wanted to keep this feminine element but give it a twist and challenge ideas of classical beauty. ~ Roksanda Ilincic

As Serbia continues to move towards rectifying the evils of its past and joining the ranks of democratic nations, it is important that the individuals involved in the death of the Bytyqi brothers are held accountable for their actions[.] ~ Tim Bishop

I think of myself as a political idiot. Idiot, in ancient Greece, denoted a common person without access to knowledge and information--all women, by definition, and most men. I am unable to make judgments. I see no options I can identify with. Is that normal? ~ Jasmina Tesanovic

It is now necessary to face the truth and to acknowledge against all prejudices that the struggle that the Albanian tribe is leading today is a natural and unavoidable historic struggle for a different political life than that experienced under Turkish rule - different also from that which its neighbours Serbia, Greece and Montenegro would like to force upon the Albanians. ~ Dimitrije Tucovic

Bombing the Murrah Federal Building was morally and strategically equivalent to the U.S. hitting a government building in Serbia, Iraq, or other nations. ~ Timothy McVeigh

Five months after Zoran's disappearance, his wife gave birth to a girl. The mother was unable to nurse the child. The city was being shelled continuously. There were severe food shortages. Infants, like the infirm and the elderly, were dying in droves. The family gave the baby tea for five days, but she began to fade.

"She was dying," Rosa Sorak said. "It was breaking our hearts."

Fejzic, meanwhile, was keeping his cow in a field on the eastern edge of Goražde, milking it at night to avoid being hit by Serbian snipers.

"On the fifth day, just before dawn, we heard someone at the door," said Rosa Sorak. "It was Fadil Fejzic in his black rubber boots. He handed up half a liter of milk he came the next morning, and the morning after that, and after that. Other families on the street began to insult him. They told him to give his milk to Muslims, to let the Chetnik children die. He never said a word. He refused our money. He came 442 days, until my daughter-in-law and granddaughter left Goražde for Serbia."

The Soraks eventually left and took over a house that once belonged to a Muslim family in the Serbian-held town of Kopaci. Two miles to the east. They could no longer communicate with Fejzic.

The couple said they grieved daily for their sons. They missed their home. They said they could never forgive those who took Zoran from them. But they also said that despite their anger and loss, they could not listen to other Sebs t ~ Chris Hedges

You know, in each segment of ex-Yugoslavia, multi-ethnic life is lost, except I think we somehow still have this in Serbia. ~ Emir Kusturica

I invite you to leverage Serbia because we have talented young professionals who are multilingual, highly educated, and willing to work for competitive wages. ~ Ivica Dacic

[Today's left] would have left us with Slobodan Milosevic in power, Bosnia ethnically cleansed, Kosovo part of Greater Serbia, Afghanistan under the Taliban, and Iraq the property of a psychopathic crime family. Now, I'm sorry to say, I've no patience with that leftist mentality anymore. ~ Christopher Hitchens

Nonviolence worked in Serbia, and it can work in other countries seeking their freedom. ~ Janine Di Giovanni

We would like Serbia to become a member of the European Union as quickly as possible. ~ Ivica Dacic

The tradition in Serbia has always been team sports - football, basketball, handball, volleyball and water polo, individual sports are not supported. ~ Novak Djokovic

The truth is the President of the United States used the same device that Slobodan Milosevic used in Serbia. When you appeal to homophobia, when you appeal to sexism, when you appeal to racism, that is extraordinarily damaging to the country. ~ Howard Dean

I hope very much this event, the death of Milosevic will help Serbia to look definitely to the future. ~ Javier Solana

The hopelessness of the Turkish Government should make me witness with delight its being swept out of the countries which it tortures. Next to the Ottoman Government nothing can be more deplorable and blameworthy than jealousies between Greek and Slav and plans by the States already existing for appropriating other territory. Why not Macedonia for the Macedonians as well as Bulgaria for the Bulgarians and Serbia for the Serbians? ~ William E. Gladstone

Had someone from Serbia flown a 'Greater Serbia' flag in Tirana or Pristina, it would become an issue for the U.N. Security Council. ~ Ivica Dacic

....in Bosnia, mass rape was a policy of the war, systematically carried out, implicating neighbors, paramilitaries, soldiers. ~ Ausma Zehanat Khan

When I touch you, it makes me trembling.
I feel like I've lost myself, existentially.
Your lips on mine makes me feel like
I'm flying across the universe, without aimlessly. ~ Tamara Stamenkovic

We, the present-day political leaders, are called upon to take responsibility for making joint decisions upon which the prosperity of future generations will heavily depend. Serbia may be a small country yet, through partner cooperation with others, it can confront all challenges and address problems that overcome its capacities. ~ Tomislav Nikolic

If the counsel of the peaceniks had been followed, Kuwait would today be the nineteenth province of Iraq. Bosnia would be a trampled and cleansed province of Greater Serbia, Kosovo would have been emptied of most of its inhabitants, and the Taliban would still be in power in Afghanistan. Yet nothing seems to disturb the contented air of moral superiority of those that intone the "peace movement". ~ Christopher Hitchens

I was put in charge, made a general, and sent into Serbia, where, by dint of my own ingenuity, we served honorably but did not kill a soul. And that, believe me, is very hard with the Serbs, because they are very ingenious themselves, and they have a passion for martyrdom. "I've been a field marshal for two years. I have so many medals that when I wear them I look like a window in a junk shop. ~ Mark Helprin

Since 1945, when Jesus granted America air superiority, we have bombed Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Lebanon, Granada, Panama, Iraq, Serbia, Somalia, Bosnia, The Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and Yemen. And Yemen only because the tenth one was free.
How did we inherit this moral obligation of bringing justice to the world via death from above? Are we Zeus?
It doesn't make any sense. Our schools are crumbling and we wanna teach everyone else a lesson. ~ Bill Maher

We play in twelve rounds. The present against me. I lost the previous eleven. Defeat after defeat. And now I am waiting for the last round. The key round. The fact that I did not fall so far gives me more strength. It's only now that I hope to win, by knock-out, because the fate is too tired from punches that it will eventually fall by itself. And maybe it will fall on knees when it realizes that I am not going to fall. ~ Slavisa Pavlovic

Unlimited enmity of the Albanian people against Serbia is the foremost real result of the Albanian policies of the Serbian government. The second and more dangerous result is the strengthening of two big powers in Albania, which have the greatest interests in the Balkans. ~ Dimitrije Tucovic

Serbia has become a pariah nation, untouchable like a leper. ~ Ivica Dacic

A final and long-lasting solution to the Kosovo issue cannot be achieved without an agreement with Serbia, especially in regard to the U.N. ~ Ivica Dacic

In Globetrotter, David Albahari explores the consciousness of emigres from the former Yugoslavia, Croatia and Serbia, showing that while abroad, many of us are even more intensely preoccupied with our histories than we were while living in Yugoslavia. His narrative structured out of realistic details and perceptions with self-conscious meditation blending history, civilization and its discontents, and personal experience reaches a density and intensity akin to Krasznahorkai's and Thomas Bernhard's. An intensely idiosyncratic narrative, enjoyable and thoughtful. ~ Josip Novakovich

Well, then. Hungary borders, in the south, on the Danube and Serbia ... and the Rumanian ... Dalmatian ... and Serbia ... and the capital of Serbia.., and the Serbia of capital ... ~ Frigyes Karinthy

Germany's siege mentality and gnawing sense of encirclement (the need to 'storm out of the fortress' to prevent a Russian attack); Austria-Hungary's hatred of Serbia; Russia's deep fear of Germany; France's vengeful chauvinism; and Britain's ferocious Germanophobia. ~ Paul Ham

Yet it is also a tonic and an antidote to dullness to be with the Serbs. They possess the irresponsible gaiety that we traditionally connect with the Irish, with whom they have often been compared. Other less convenient sides of the Irish character are also typical in the Serbs, such as a cheerful contempt for punctuality in daily life and a ready willingness, arising clearly from politeness and good nature, to make promises that are not always fulfilled. But perhaps the most pronounced of these similarities is to be found in the songs of Serbia and Ireland. With both peoples the historic songs about the past are songs of sorrow, or noble struggles against overwhelming odds, of failure redeemed by unconquerable resolve. There is nothing strange in this combination of laughing gaiety and profound melancholy. It is often only those who are truly capable of the one emotion who also have the faculty for the other. ~ R.G.D. Laffan

Do you know what we call windows in Belgrade?' she asked. All our windows are broken and crisscrossed with scotch tape. 'Windows 99. ~ Jasmina Tesanovic

Yet the Soviet elite, and the Communist regimes through most of eastern Europe (Romania and Serbia were the exceptions), chose not to use even a tiny fraction of this military power. When its members realised that Communism was bankrupt, they renounced force, admitted their failure, packed their suitcases and went home. ~ Yuval Noah Harari

Milosevic will never stop, because he is fighting for personal power in Serbia. The only way to stop him is cutting the functioning of his war machine. He is spending $1.7 million a day on his war machine in Kosovo. ~ Fatos Nano

The spirit of rebellion must live in Serbia. Only then will we know we are alive and not servants of a dictator. ~ Zoran Djindjic

Bosnia is known as the powder keg of Yugoslavia, which itself is known as the powder keg of the Balkans, which in turn is reputed to be the powder keg of Europe. I would like to lengthen the list a bit by noting that Slobodan Milosevic was the powder keg of Bosnia. He is also one of the most extraordinary men you could hope to meet in your lifetime, a Halley's Comet of dictators, appearing once or twice a century.

p. 199 ~ Peter Maas

The army did what Milosevic's regime asked of it, which was to create a 'Greater Serbia'. ~ Stjepan Mesic

Hungary to the upper left, upper left, Serbia to the lower left, lower left. Bosnia on the bottom, on the bottom. Slovenia to the top, to the top. And where's Croatia?" "Where? Where?" Jacob sung. "It's next to the Adriatic Sea, across from Italy! ~ J. Lynn

Milosevic did not die in The Hague - he was killed in The Hague. But, he had managed to defend the national and state interests of Serbia and the Serb people, and everybody should be grateful to him for that. ~ Ivica Dacic

The Reformed Church was identified with the old all-white government of South Africa and its apartheid policy. The Roman Catholic Church was closely identified with the Franco and Salazar dictatorships in Spain and Portugal ... More recently, ... the Serbian Orthodox Church has come to be identified with the policies of Serbia (Yugoslavia). ~ Edd Doerr

I had furthermore spoken on the assumption that Russia would mobilize, whereas the assumption of the German Government had hitherto been, officially, that Serbia would receive no support; and what I had said must influence the German Government to take the matter seriously. ~ Edward Grey

As prime minister, I will never make a decision that will be an injustice to Serbia and its citizens. ~ Ivica Dacic

One of the reasons they didn't go to Bosnia, bin Laden has explained extensively, was because they couldn't establish a base anywhere. Not in Catholic Croatia. Not in Orthodox Serbia. So they sent some trainers and a lot of money. ~ Michael Scheuer

We expect Serbian authorities to bring to justice all individuals at all levels who are responsible for their deaths without further delay. This also remains a high priority on our bilateral agenda with Serbia. ~ Victoria Nuland

There has been enough blood in the Balkans. Serbia is offering its hand. Let us turn to the future and not deal with the past. ~ Ivica Dacic

It's a great start, but we have a tough group: we have big teams like Denmark, Armenia and Serbia, so starting here gives us a good opportunity to fight until the end. ~ Lorik Cana

I want to help children in Serbia and around the world so they can realize their dreams. ~ Novak Djokovic

Kosovo is not a part of Serbia. It is the very heart of Serbia. ~ Slobodan Milosevic

Babe i žabe ('just say no to Greater Serbia, Greater Croatia and Islamic State!') ~ John Farebrother

I think it is in the interest of the people of [Serbia] that no one, not even the government, can get away with the crime, whoever the victim. ~ Michael Kirby

So as far as Serbia is concerned, it does not have the right to influence the privatization or to claim any property, because Kosovo is a former member of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ~ Ibrahim Rugova

It's absurd to accuse Serbia and the Serbs for the armed secession of Croatia,. ~ Slobodan Milosevic

You can walk around this culture now, as a proud supporter of the so called anti-war movement and it's made up of a lot of people I used to know ... I'd like for them to be asked more often than they are, if your advice had been taken over the last 15 or so years; Slobodan Milosevic would still be the dictator of not just Serbia but also of a cleansed and ruined Bosnia and Kosovo. Saddam Hussein would still be the owner of Kuwait as well as Iraq, he would of nearly have doubled his holding of the worlds oil. The Taliban would still be in charge of Afghanistan. Don't you feel a little reproach to your so called high principle anti-war policy? Would that really have led to less violence, less cruelty? ~ Christopher Hitchens

I've enjoyed, to a certain extent, any country I've been in, of course like Serbia and Croatia can be very restrictive and oppressive, and frustrating, but they're still very beautiful. ~ Henry Rollins

The Soviet Union came apart along ethnic lines. The most important factor in this breakup was the disinclination of Slavic Ukraine to continue under a regime dominated by Slavic Russia. Yugoslavia came apart also, beginning with a brutal clash between Serbia and Croatia, here again 'nations' with only the smallest differences in genealogy; with, indeed, practically a common language. Ethnic conflict does not require great differences; small will do. ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan

War is a culture, bellicosity is addictive, defeat for a community that imagines itself to be history's eternal victim can be as intoxicating as victory. How long will it take for the Serbs to realize that the Milosevic years have been an unmitigated disaster for Serbia, the net result of Milosevic's policies being the economic and cultural ruin of the entire region, including Serbia, for several generations? Alas, one thing we can be sure of, that will not happen soon. ~ Susan Sontag

Can you cite one speck of hard evidence of the benefits of "diversity" that we have heard gushed about for years? Evidence of its harm can be seen - written in blood - from Iraq to India, from Serbia to Sudan, from Fiji to the Philippines. It is scary how easily so many people can be brainwashed by sheer repetition of a word. ~ Thomas Sowell

Serbia is blamed in advance for everything. ~ Ivica Dacic

Yugoslavia and Serbia will fight against terrorists regardless of whether a political agreement is reached or not. ~ Ivica Dacic

Discussing economic reforms in Serbia is futile. ~ Ivica Dacic

Well, I do feel that I carry the responsibility of representing my country wherever I am, and this responsibility came with the success that I had in last couple of years, not just myself but the whole group of tennis players that comes from Serbia. And athletes in general are, in this moment, the biggest ambassadors that our country has. ~ Novak Djokovic

The first thing you have to do is understand what success looks like. And to understand what success looks like you have to understand the intent. If you understand that intent is to make sure the sea lines are secure, then suddenly bombing Kosovo makes sense, because you don't want Serbia to reemerge as a major power. ~ George Friedman

NATO bombing of Serbia was undertaken by the 'international community,' according to consistent Western rhetoric - although those who did not have their heads buried in the sand knew that it was opposed by most of the world, often quite vocally. Those who do not support the actions of wealth and power are not part of 'the global community. ~ Noam Chomsky

We continue to receive reports that the morale of some elements is being damaged, .. They are being affected by the impunity with which NATO aircraft can operate over Kosovo and Serbia, the accuracy and the growing knowledge.. of deployed locations. In summary, NATO has eroded the capability of Milosevic's war machine and it is being further reduced as each day goes by. ~ John Day

Serbia stands firmly on the EU path. ~ Ivica Dacic

I decided to play tennis not because I wanted to be a professional player, but because my parents wanted me to get involved in something so I wouldnt be running around the streets in Serbia, ~ Jelena Jankovic