Richard von Weizsaecker

“The 8th of May was a day of liberation. It liberated all of us from the inhumanity and tyranny of the National Socialist regime.”

“The German question is open as long as the Brandenburg Gate is closed.”

“The new generations in both parts of our country are growing up under completely different conditions. They are separated more than they themselves know.”

“Europe has to be more than a market. It has to be a community of values and a community of law.”

“Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance.”

“Whoever closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present.”

“Young people are not responsible for what happened over forty years ago. But they are responsible for what becomes of it in history.”

“At the root of the Nazi tyranny was Hitler's utter disregard for the dignity of the individual.”

“We are all, whether we like it or not, heirs of our past.”

“We need to remember because we need to be masters of our future.”

“There is no such thing as the guilt or innocence of an entire people. Guilt is, like innocence, not collective, but personal.”

“Patriotism is love of one's own. Nationalism is hatred of others.”