The biggest lesson I learned from Vietnam is not to trust [our own] government statements. J. William Fulbright More Quotes by J. William Fulbright More Quotes From J. William Fulbright To give [the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba] even covert support is on a par with the hypocrisy and cynicism for which the United States is constantly denouncing the Soviet Union in the United Nations and elsewhere. This point will not be lost on the rest of the world, nor on our own consciences. J. William Fulbright pigsgivingwar Power confuses itself with virtue and tends also to take itself for omnipotence. J. William Fulbright omnipotencevirtue As a conservative power, the United States has a vital interest in upholding and expanding the reign of law in international relations. J. William Fulbright reignunited-stateslaw Maturity requires a final accommodation between our aspirations and our limitations. J. William Fulbright accommodationsfinalsmaturity We must dare to think unthinkable thoughts. J. William Fulbright alzheimersdarepositive-thinking To be a statesman, you must first get elected. J. William Fulbright politicspoliticalfirsts The American public has become so conditioned by crises, by warnings, by words, that there are few, other than the young, who protest against what is happening. J. William Fulbright crisiswarningyoung Science has radically changed the conditions of human life on earth. It has expanded our knowledge and our power, but not our capacity to use them with wisdom. J. William Fulbright capacityuseearth The exchange program is the thing that reconciles me to all the difficulties of political life. J. William Fulbright programdifficultypolitical We are inclined to confuse freedom and democracy, which we regard as moral principles, with the way in which they are practiced in America with capitalism, federalism, and the two-party system, which are not moral principles but simply the preferred and accepted practices of the American people. J. William Fulbright partypracticetwo The case for government by elites is irrefutable. J. William Fulbright world-governmentnwoorder Israel's shooting down of a civilian airplane and then the killing of 107 innocent peopel aboard, and their raid into neutral Lebanon are very dangerous developments. There's only one way I can see to stop it...is for the United States to take a very strong stand that this has to be settled...politically settled. J. William Fulbright airplaneisraelstrong Well, we have the leverage in the sense that we supply all the wherewithal...or a major part of the wherewithal to finance or to pay for everything Israel does. We don't have any leverage in the sense that Israel controls the Senate. The Senate is at least...a subservient, in my opinion, much too much. We should be more concerned about the United States' interest, rather than doing the bidding of Israel. This is a most unusual development. J. William Fulbright united-statesisraeldoe The great majority of the Senate of the United States...somewhere around 80 percent...are completely in support of Israel, anything Israel wants. This has been demonstrated time and again, and this has made it difficult. J. William Fulbright majoritysupportisrael One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing mortal damage to the values one is trying to defend. J. William Fulbright barbariansdamagetrying During a single week of July 1967, 164 Americans were killed and 2100 were wounded in city riots in the United States. We are truly fighting a two-front war and doing badly in both. Each war feeds on the other and, although the President assures us that we have the resources to win both wars, in fact we are not winning either. J. William Fulbright fightingwinningwar We would be deliberately violating the fundamental obligations we assumed in the Act of Bogota establishing the Organization of American States. J. William Fulbright organizationwould-befundamentals It is a curiosity of human nature that lack of self-assurance seems to breed an exaggerated sense of power and mission. J. William Fulbright atheismcuriosityself This is regrettable indeed for a nation that aspires to teach democracy to other nations, because, as Burke said: "Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other." J. William Fulbright atheismdemocracyschool The Israelis object to an imposed settlement I don't know what they mean by an imposed settlement. It's quite obvious, without the all out support by the United States in money and weapons and so on the Israelis couldn't do what they've been doing. So we bear a very great share of the responsibility for the continuation of this...of this state of warfare. J. William Fulbright supportresponsibilitymean