1941 - The most memorable Quotes of the year

Canada is the linchpin of the English-speaking world. Canada, with those relations of friendly, affectionate intimacy with the United States on the one hand and with her unswerving fidelity to the British Commonwealth and the Motherland on the other, is the link which joins together these great branches of the human family.

If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.

Vogel: "What does the diary tell you that it doesn't tell us?"
Dr. Henry Jones: "It tells me that goose-stepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them!"

When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews, I remained silent; I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

We know that a man can read Goethe or Rilke in the evening, that he can play Bach and Schubert, and go to his day's work at Auschwitz in the morning.

In the concentration camps, we discovered this whole universe where everyone had his place. The killer came to kill, and the victims came to die.

We must never forget she was just 21 years old when she was killed by the Nazis, but she possessed a life-affirming personality no dictatorship could ever silence.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.

All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

But let all strive without failing in faith or in duty, and the dark curse of Hitler will be lifted from our age.

The bigger the lie, the more people believe in it.

If we win, we don't have to explain ourselves. If we lose, there's nothing to explain.

Canada also helped in two world wars and gave the world Neil Young, William Shatner, Leonard Cohen, Pamela Anderson, one quarter of Barney Stinson, instant mashed potatoes and best of all - you.

Look, if Michael Jordan's healthy, you don't let Scottie Pippen run the offense. Oh, you're from Canada, right. If Wayne Gretzky's healthy, you don't let François... what I'm saying is: hockey is stupid and I'm point guy!

Canadians are nice and polite. It's not just a stereotype.

Hell is empty, devils are here!

The devil is real and he isn't a little red man with horns and a tail. He can be beautiful because he's a fallen angel and he used to be God's favourite.

But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

The war is won, but the peace is not.

When the action is over and we look back, we understand both more and less. This much is certain. Before the Doolittle raid, America knew nothing but defeat. After it, there was hope of victory. Japan realized, for the first time, they could lose and began to pull back. America realized, that she would win and surged forward. It was a war, that changed America and the world. Dorie Miller was the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross. But he would not be the last. He joined a brotherhood of heroes. World War II, for us, began at Pearl Harbor, and 1.177 men still lie entombed in the battleship Arizona. America suffered, but America grew stronger. It was not inevitable. The times tried our souls, and through the trial, we overcame.

In remembering the appalling suffering of war on both sides, we recognise how precious is the peace we have built in Europe since 1945.