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Chris Patten

Chris Patten Quotes

Governor of Hong Kong

Chris Patten, born on May 12, 1944, is a British politician who served as the Governor of Hong Kong. He held the position of Chief Secretary for Administration from 1985 to 1989 and Governor of Hong Kong from 1989 to 1992. During his tenure, he advocated for the democratization of Hong Kong and worked to maintain its prosperity and stability. After Hong Kong's return to China, Patten continued to be active in international affairs, serving in various roles.

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All People Thinking Trying Democracy Hong Kong Should Argument Courses Difficult Freedom

Famous Chris Patten Quotes

“[Hong Kong] was indeed (in the words of the Chinese journalist Tsang Ki-fan) the only Chinese society that, for a brief span of 100 years, lived through an ideal never realized at any time in the history of Chinese society — a time when no man had to live in fear of the midnight knock on the door.”

Book:EAST AND WEST

Source: EAST AND WEST

“Of course, there were huge disagreements in the arguments of military intervention, .. There is no point at the moment on focusing on those disagreements.”

Moments Courses Military Huge Argument Intervention No Point Disagreement Military Intervention

Author:Chris Patten

“Throwing young men out of work, throwing people into poverty and ending business life don't promote stability in the Palestinian territories,.”

People Men Young Poverty Young Man Territory Stability Throwing Palestinian Business Life

Author:Chris Patten

“All parts of the society need to feel that the police service is their police service, and that does not happen unless all parts of society are represented in the police”

Needs Feels Doe Happens Police Parting

Author:Chris Patten

“We're not trying to recreate Yugoslavia”

Trying Recreation Yugoslavia

Author:Chris Patten

“You don't have to wait until people say they accept everything you say until you are actually prepared to sit down and discuss matters with them.”

People Matter Waiting Accepting Down And Prepared

Author:Chris Patten

“Multilateralism is not an easy option. We're going to find that the world is very difficult. And relationships between America and the rest of the world are very difficult.”

World America Easy Difficult Multilateralism

Author:Chris Patten

“It'd make a wonderful change to have the leader of a pluralist democracy who acted on that, who told people just how tough things are going to be, just what's going to have to be done - and, maybe, ran all the risks on the side of honesty, rather than spinning stories and trying to win the headlines every day.”

People Trying Done Stories Winning Sides Leader Democracy Wonderful Risk Honesty Tough Ran Old People Spinning Headlines Tough Things

Author:Chris Patten

“Hong Kong represents the kind of Asia with which both West and East are comfortable... It offers, in that sense, a vision for the future of Asia.”

Kind Vision Offers Comfortable West East Asia Hong Kong

Author:Chris Patten

“It behaves more like a tribe than a democratic institution...responding to custom rather than reason and using its own liturgy and language for the conduct of its domestic affairs.”

Reason Language Institutions Democratic Affair Behave Customs Tribes Responding Liturgy

Author:Chris Patten

“Anyone who supposed that when Margaret Thatcher left Number Ten she was going to take a Trappist vow did not know that formidable politician.”

Knows Left Numbers Politician Ten Vow Formidable

Author:Chris Patten

“In a democracy everybody has a right to be represented, including the jerks.”

Freedom Democracy Including Jerk

Author:Chris Patten

“In democracy everyone has the right to be represented, even the jerks.”

Freedom Democracy Jerk Voting And Democracy

Author:Chris Patten

“But the ability to articulate what you are doing, to be clear about it, and to stick to it is, I think, the essence of political leadership.”

Thinking Political Leadership Ability Inspiring Clear Essence Sticks Political Leadership

Author:Chris Patten

“So, what I say to people is that politics has got to be about principle and values above all. Of course, there are times when you have to make accommodations.”

People Values Courses Principles Accommodations Principles And Values

Author:Chris Patten

“Those of us who had a perfectly happy childhood should be able to sue for deprivation of literary royalties.”

Should Able Childhood Royalty Deprivation Happy Childhood

Author:Chris Patten

“Hong Kong's people will get what they want, despite China's objections. Freedom invariably wins in the end.”

People Want Ends Winning China Despite Objections Hong Kong

Author:Chris Patten

“I think that what most surprises anybody who goes into politics from even a modestly cerebral background is the vulgarity of much of the cut and thrust of politics.”

Thinking Cutting Surprise Backgrounds Thrust Vulgarity Cerebral Vulgarity Is

Author:Chris Patten

“We have our own system, ... and journalists in our system are not put in prison for embarrassing the government by revealing things the government might not wish to have revealed. The important thing is that our system, under which journalists can write without fear or favor, should continue.”

Should Writing Important Government Might Wish Important Things Prison Favors Journalist Embarrassing Revealing

Author:Chris Patten

“It is curious that atheists have proved to be so intolerant of those who have a faith.”

Atheist Curious

Author:Chris Patten

“Green politics at its worst amounts to a sort of Zen fascism; less extreme, it denounces growth and seeks to stop the world so that we can all get off.”

World Growth Worst Amount Green Extremes Fascism Conservation

Author:Chris Patten

“There is a sort of exotic preposterousness about a lot of elections, the way arguments are made even cruder.”

Way Made Argument Election Voting Exotic

Author:Chris Patten

“I believe in trying to get a balance between individual freedom on the one hand and social responsibility on the other.”

Trying Believe Hands Individual I Believe Social Responsibility Balance I Believe In Social Responsibility Individual Freedom

Author:Chris Patten

“I don't think that capitalism should be unbridled, if by "unbridled" you mean unregulated.”

Ifs Thinking Should Mean Capitalism

Author:Chris Patten

“I suppose I've always carried what is regarded as a bit of unnecessary baggage in Britain. I've always carried the charge that I am an intellectual in politics.”

Bits Intellectual Britain Unnecessary Baggage

Author:Chris Patten

“I think that if politics is just about getting your backside on important seats, then it's a pretty worthless endeavor.”

Ifs Thinking Important Seats Endeavor Worthless Backsides

Author:Chris Patten

“It is a sort of great Victorian truth that actually, trying to do the right thing is pretty good for you and pretty good for business as well, by and large.”

Trying Wells Right Thing Victorian

Author:Chris Patten

“It is almost always wrong that the time isn't ripe to decide something. That is always said of difficult problems.”

Said Problem Difficult Ripe Always Wrong Difficult Problems

Author:Chris Patten

“Undoubtedly, at the moment, the major cause of CO2 emission is what happens in developed countries.”

Country Moments Happens Causes Majors Emissions Co2 Developed Country Co2 Emissions

Author:Chris Patten

About the Author

Born: May 12, 1944
Known for: Governor of Hong Kong
Quotes: 29

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