Muhammad Reza Pahlavi quotes - page 2

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi was the last Shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1941 until the Iranian Revolution in 1979. His era was marked by rapid modernization, economic growth, and close ties with Western countries, but also increasing political repression and social unrest. He was eventually overthrown and spent his last years in exile. Here are 96 of his quotes:

Thank God we in Iran have neither the desire nor the need to suffer from democracy.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

I want the standard of living in Iran in ten years' time to be exactly on a level with that in Europe today. In twenty years' time we shall be ahead of the United States.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Let the dog bark; the moon shall beam on.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Soviet propaganda is remarkably effective and the Americans are even more remarkably stupid.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Nobody can influence me, nobody. Still less a woman. Women are important in a man's life only if they're beautiful and charming and keep their femininity.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

You approach the Mullahs as if they are normal people. They are not. You see them in your own image; you should not.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

A crown, a throne could not be based on the not too very solid foundation of blood.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

They want liberalization! I'll give them liberalization. I'll loosen the screws until the Americans beg me to tighten them again.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

As far as we are concerned, we are not the toys of any country, including the United States.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Nixon would like to consign us to to the level of the most backward countries in the whole Middle East. Why lower us to the standard of the Saudis rather than raising the Saudis to meet us?

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Who on earth do the Americans suppose their allies are amongst the Arab world? Even Saudi Arabia they seem to regard as nothing more than a resevoir of oil and money.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

I have learned by experience that a tragic end awaits anyone who dares cross swords with me; Nasser is no more, John and Robert Kennedy died at the hands of assassins, their brother Edward has been disgraced, Krushchev was toppled, the list is endless.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

This criticism is ridiculous. The twenty-five hundreth anniversary celebration cost me less than the inauguration of each new president of the United States.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

I am convinced that the majority of the religious hierarchy today deplores the hardship inflicted on our people. I am referring not only to the martyrs but of the families who have been dispersed and terrified, who have no resources, and to the four million unemployed who are suffering from the economic chaos of a country which only a year earlier was giving employment to a million foreigners. Those who have chosen to serve God must feel profoundly sad at seeing ridicule poured on the most sacred principles of our religion.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

What's happened recently in Pakistan, India and Kuwait only goes to show that it's futile to imitate Western democracy. They've ended up exactly where they started.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

... I have always endeavoured, as my double duty of believer and sovereign dictated, to follow the precepts of the sacred Book of Islam: precepts of balance, justice and moderation. Although my religious education was very literal, in that I learnt to understand the precepts of the Koran precisely according to the text, we have seen that on several occasions throughout my life, I have felt myself to be very particularly in the hands of the Almighty.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

I perfectly understand the particular attention which you pay to the question of nuclear energy, and fully realize the possible dangers and catastrophes which might result for mankind from an irresponsible attitude. In this field my wish is for Iran to put all her efforts towards the peaceful use of atomic energy. We shall continue to co-operate with all the nations of the world to attain this end in the interests of human society.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Many Westerners forget that when the Prophet spoke of four wives as the maximum allowable number, he had in mind a reduction to four as compared to the number then often prevailing; moreover, Mohammed specified that a man should acquire more than one wife only if he could treat them all with equal justice - obviously a difficult feat for even the most diligent man to achieve. In effect, then, the Prophet curtailed the number of wives.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

I remember that on one occasion Mossadegh swooned in the midst of a speech to our Parliament. When a hastily summoned doctor started to loosen his clothes, Mossadegh instantly revived enough to clap his hand over his wallet. The old hypocrite had not been unconscious at all; he was merely pretending in the hope of impressing his audience. I think this incident, observed by many, illustrates one of Mossadegh's cardinal characteristics- namely, his insincerity.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

It is woman's peculiar gifts, as well as man's, which make nonesense of any literal-minded notion of 'equality' of the sexes. Nobody could do greater harm to woman's real progress than to confuse 'equality' on the one hand with 'equality of opportunity' on the other. The Moslem religion and all the other great world faiths teach the complementary relationship of man and woman. They all reject the idea of their being 'equal' in the sense of identical or synonymous. Observation and common sense teach the same truths.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Taking Iran's history as witness, I declare that we, the Pahlavi Dynasty, nurse no love but that for Iran, and no zeal but that for the dignity of Iranians; recognise no duty but that of serving our state and our nation. As the commander of this monarchy, I make a covenant with Iran's history that this golden epic of modern Iran will be carried on to complete victory, and that no power on earth shall ever be able to stand against the bond of steel between the Shah and the nation. We shall never again be caught unawares. The nation and the Imperial Arrned Forces, which come from the ranks of the people and derive their power from our inexhaustible national resources, are alert day in and day out to protect their country. No foreigner or his agents will ever have the chance to penetrate the unshakable structure of our national sovereignty because Iran's destiny is now shaped by Iranians and for Iranians - and this shall always be the case.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

My main mistake was to have made an ancient people advance by forced marches toward independence, health, culture, affluence, comfort.

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi