Harri Holkeri quotes

Harri Holkeri was a Finnish politician and statesman, known for his significant role in Finland’s government and international diplomacy. As Prime Minister of Finland, he contributed to important economic reforms and supported Finland’s integration into global affairs. He also played a key part in the Northern Ireland peace process as a United Nations administrator. Here are 30 of his quotes:

If you come to a negotiation table saying you have the final truth, that you know nothing but the truth and that is final, you will get nothing. (Harri Holkeri)
There are many challenges, there are many obstacles; let us try to change the obstacles to advantages. View quote
Harri Holkeri
I do not want to speak about overpopulation or birth control, but I think education is the way to give new impetus to the poverty question. View quote
Harri Holkeri
Peace enforcement is a much more difficult kind of operation than peacekeeping. View quote
Harri Holkeri
My opinion on who's wrong or who's right has nothing to do with the fact that we have to bring together people who are against each other, to transform antagonism into cooperation. View quote
Harri Holkeri
In Finland we have equal political rights for women and men. We do not regard ourselves according to sex. View quote
Harri Holkeri
Men and women have roles - their roles are different, but their rights are equal. View quote
Harri Holkeri
Without rebuilding the confidence between parties, you will never succeed. View quote
Harri Holkeri
I recently reread an article of mine written in 1964, and I think it is still valid. There is not much difference. Many of the items on the agenda 37 years ago are still there. View quote
Harri Holkeri
If we go back in the history of different nations, violence and the use of force are part of their heritage. These are the traditions of mankind. View quote
Harri Holkeri
We Finns represent a very transparent and open-minded way of reaching political decisions. (Harri Holkeri)
Discussion is just a tool. You have to aim; the final goal must be a decision. View quote
Harri Holkeri
What we can do as individuals may not be very much on the global scale, but we have to start the change by living as we are teaching. View quote
Harri Holkeri
When the problems in Northern Ireland started, it was not a question of Protestantism or Catholicism, because the Catholic church was the only church at that time-it was a nationalist conflict. View quote
Harri Holkeri
One of the biggest development issues in the world is the education of girls. In the United States and Europe, it has been accepted, but not in Africa and the developing countries. View quote
Harri Holkeri
When my first child was born in 1962, I wrote a letter to my grandfather telling him how happy I was but how concerned; concerned because there were so many visions which were not very good. View quote
Harri Holkeri
That is where consensus-building begins-with the idea that you have your own truth, but that the negotiator on the other side of the table has his own truth as well. View quote
Harri Holkeri
There are big issues, like the reform of the Security Council. These kinds of questions are something the President of the General Assembly must keep his eye on. View quote
Harri Holkeri
The Baltic Sea is becoming more and more polluted. Not everybody living near the shore of the Baltic Sea is protecting it. It is the water of life for countries like Finland and Sweden. View quote
Harri Holkeri
I really do hope that the Millennium Summit gives new impetus to the work of the United Nations. View quote
Harri Holkeri
Finland had a civil war less than 100 years ago, just like in Ireland. If you look at the history of newly independent nations, civil war is almost every time present, even in the United States. (Harri Holkeri)
I think I can regard myself as a political decision-maker. View quote
Harri Holkeri
If there is something I would like to do as President of the General Assembly, it is to place more emphasis on the issue of education, which enables a better life for women. View quote
Harri Holkeri
In every European nation, there have been problems in history when the society was too divided. View quote
Harri Holkeri
In international or national crises, there are always questions of lack of confidence. You have to change the minds of the people in order to get results. View quote
Harri Holkeri

Harri Holkeri

Harri Holkeri - Image
Photo: Wikimedia commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Occupation: Finnish Politician
Born: January 6, 1937
Died: August 7, 2011
Quotes count: 30