The best Quotes by Helmut Schmidt

That's the misery: Stupid people are so confident, the wise ones full of doubt.

Libraries are the intellectual gas stations of the country.

Asking for optimism from a 93-year-old is a bit too much.

When I was a boy, it never occurred to me that one day I might participate at the birthday of a German Chancellor. But that was before I knew that smoking four packs of cigarettes and consuming ten Coca-Colas a day guaranteed longevity.

We are not chosen - we are elected. We're looking to talk to everyone who care about this democracy.

The best way of predicting the future is shaping it.

Berlin will live and the Wall will fall!

When the train of German Unity starts rolling, we better make sure no one's run over.

Democracy shouldn't go as far as voting who's the father in a family.

Now, what belongs together, will grow together.

I might have been born in Liverpool - but I grew up in Hamburg.

Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets.

There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.

Before this war, I was opposed to membership of Ukraine in NATO because I feared that it would start exactly the process that we have seen now. Now that this process has reached this level, the idea of a neutral Ukraine under these conditions is no longer meaningful. I believe Ukrainian membership in NATO would be an appropriate outcome.

Who's the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?

I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The world will only have a generation of idiots.

A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.

Smart women love smart men more than smart men love smart women.

The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.

Create your own path, hone your talent, be ready to show your talent, and don't doubt yourself.

In all of the world's books in all libraries in the universe, I couldn't find the words to describe what I feel about you.

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.

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

All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.

You're never too old to be young.

Our world has become more restless and rough; it is changing at a breathtaking pace. We also cope with headwinds. This does not make the challenges of our time any smaller.

I believe in Europe. I am convinced by Europe. Not only as a heritage from the past, but as hope and a vision for the future.

It can be done this way, or that way. I prefer this way.

My aim remains, if history approves, to unite our country.

Power itself isn't good or bad.

A compromise is the art of sharing a cake and having everyone think that they got the biggest piece of it.

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.

I don't need to know how they make Coca-Cola. I think it tastes just fine not knowing what the ingredients are. I think there are some things that should be kept secret.

One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president. The other one is me.