Eduard Shevardnadze Quotes

Eduard Shevardnadze speaks plainly about leadership, rhetoric and power, cutting through criticism with a direct, no-nonsense style.

16 quotes

1. 'In times of crisis, I always believe one should be where the people are.'

2. 'Corruption has its own motivations, and one has to thoroughly study that phenomenon and eliminate the foundations that allow corruption to exist.'

3. 'You know, to address crowds and make promises does not require very much brains.'

4. 'It is time to realize that neither socialism, nor friendship, nor good-neighborliness, nor respect can be produced by bayonets, tanks or blood.'

5. As for myself, I was never against Russia.

6. I'm sure that was the right step, even though, formally speaking, it may seem disadvantageous for a president to resign. But, looking into what is happening today and what is going to happen in the future, I think history will show I made the right decision.

7. I think if someone else other than Reagan, someone less of a hardliner, had been in power then the breakthrough in ending the Cold War would not have happened.

8. I think my resignation was the only way to avoid bloodshed.

9. I believe that with the help of foreign countries - and under that condition only, because they have no other source of financing - the new government may temporarily extricate Georgia from the current situation.

10. We also have a real opportunity to join NATO.

11. But on second thought, after I decreed the state of emergency, I came to the conclusion that that was impossible to achieve without bloodshed because the street protesters were full of anger and nearly out of control. This is why I thought we needed to find another way out.

12. But eradicating corruption is not enough to sustain a country.

13. True, other countries are helping us. Germany is determined to provide substantial help. So are the Netherlands and other states. But a day will come when we have to count on our own resources.

14. When I came back to power, Georgia was completely isolated on the international stage.

15. You know in the West they support realistic forces.

16. I am not responsible for the actions of Saakashvili and even for those of Gamsakhurdia.