In order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles. David Ben-Gurion More Quotes by David Ben-Gurion More Quotes From David Ben-Gurion Ours is a country built more on people than on territory. The Jews will come from everywhere: from France, from Russia, from America, from Yemen... Their faith is their passport. David Ben-Gurion russia country america We do not wish and do not need to expel Arabs and take their places. David Ben-Gurion cleansing scary israel When we say that the Arabs are the aggressors and we defend ourselves — this is only half the truth. As regards our security and life we defend ourselves and our moral and physical position is not bad. We can face the gangs... and were we allowed to mobilize all our forces we would have no doubts about the outcome... But the fighting is only one aspect of the conflict which is in its essence a political one. And politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves. Militarily, it is we who are on the defensive who have the upper hand but in the political sphere they are superior. David Ben-Gurion political fighting essence If the antisemites want to hate, let them hate, and let them go to hell. David Ben-Gurion hell hate want We consider that the United Nations' ideal is a Jewish ideal. David Ben-Gurion united-nations united ideals What matters is not what the goyim say, but what the Jews do. David Ben-Gurion goyim what-matters matter If I knew that it would be possible to save all the children in Germany by bringing them over to England and only half of them by transporting them to Eretz Israel, then I opt for the second alternative. David Ben-Gurion germany israel children This life as a simple citizen and laborer has its benefits not only for the person himself but perhaps also for his country. After all, there is room for only one Prime Minister, but for those who make the desert bloom there is room for hundreds, thousands and even millions. And the destiny of the state is in the hands of the many rather than of a single individual. There are times when an individual feels he should do those things which only can and should be done by the many. David Ben-Gurion destiny simple country The Arabs of the land of Israel [ Palestinians] have only one functionleft to them -- to run away. David Ben-Gurion israel land running We should prepare to go over to the offensive. Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan and Syria. The weak point is Lebanon, for the Moslem regime is artificial and easy for us to undermine. We shall establish a Christian state there and then we will smash the Arab Legion, eliminate Trans-Jordan; Syria will fall to us. We then bomb and move on and take Port Said, Alexandria and Sinai. David Ben-Gurion christian fall moving A partial Jewish State is not the end, but only the beginning. ... I am certain that we will not be prevented from settling in the other parts of the country, either by mutual agreements with our Arab neighbors or by some other means. . . [If the Arabs refuse] we shall have to speak to them in a different language. But we shall only have another language if we have a state. David Ben-Gurion agreement mean country If I knew that it was possible to save all the children of Germany by transporting them to England, and only half by transferring them to the Land of Israel, I would choose the latter, for before us lies not only the numbers of these children but the historical reckoning of the people of Israel. David Ben-Gurion israel lying children To shatter even the largest stones on earth, it takes only a small quantity of explosive powder. David Ben-Gurion change earth stones We have preserved the Book, and the Book has preserved us. David Ben-Gurion book Terrorism benefits the Arabs, it may lay waste the Yishuv and shake Zionism. But to follow in the Arabs' footsteps and ape their deeds is to be blind to the gulf between us. Our aims and theirs run counter: methods calculated to further theirs, are ruinous to us. David Ben-Gurion benefits deeds running Thought is a strenuous art - few practice it, and then only at rare times. David Ben-Gurion practice art Courage is... the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared. David Ben-Gurion ought bravery courage The acceptance of partition does not commit us to renounce Transjordan: one does not demand from anybody to give up his vision. We shall accept a state in the boundaries fixed today, but the boundaries of Zionist aspirations are the concern of the Jewish people and no external factor will be able to limit them. David Ben-Gurion giving-up acceptance people We do not want to create a situation like that which exists in South Africa, where the whites are the owners and rulers, and the blacks are the workers. If we do not do all kinds of work, easy and hard, skilled and unskilled, if we become merely landlords, then this will not be our homeland David Ben-Gurion israel kind want The trebling of the population in this small and impoverished country, flowing with milk and honey but not with sufficient water, rich in rocks and sand dunes but poor in natural resources and vital raw materials, has been no easy task: Indeed, practical men, with their eyes fixed upon things as they are, regarded it as an empty and insubstantial utopian dream. David Ben-Gurion eye dream country