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John Hume

John Hume Quotes

Politician

John Hume, a renowned Irish politician born on January 18, 1937, is best known for his pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Hume has been a key figure in the Democratic Unionist Party and has been instrumental in facilitating dialogue with various political and paramilitary groups in the region.

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All People Differences Diversity Ireland Agreement Bits Children Conflict Father Northern Ireland

Famous John Hume Quotes

“Difference is the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth, and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.”

Peace Diversity Respect Tolerance

Author:John Hume

“I never thought in terms of being a leader. I thought very simply in terms of helping people.”

People Helping Kids Term Leadership Leader Helping People Being A Leader

Author:John Hume

“If the word 'No' was removed from the English language, Ian Paisley would be speechless.”

Ifs Would Be Language English Language Speechless Paisley

Author:John Hume

“Total ghettoization, because they were in charge of public housing, the local council, and they deliberately located people in a ghetto situation in order to ensure that they maintained control.”

People Order Situation Locals Council Housing Ghetto Public Housing

Author:John Hume

“In coming to that agreement, my party had a clear philosophy throughout. In Northern Ireland, we should have institutions that respected the differences of the people and that gave no victory to either side.”

People Should Philosophy Sides Differences Party Clear Victory Should Have Institutions Agreement Ireland Northern Ireland

Author:John Hume

“We're much closer together in the world today than we ever were in the psot. Given that it is a much smaller world, we are in a stronger position to shape that world. As we enter the new century, and anew millennium, let us create a world in which there is no longer any war or any conflict.”

World War Today Together Given Century Position Shapes Conflict Stronger World Today Millennium

Author:John Hume

“The basis of peace and stability, in any society, has to be the fullest respect for the human rights of all its people.”

People Humans Peace Rights Society Respect Bases Human Rights Stability

Author:John Hume

“Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.”

“All conflict is about difference; whether the difference is race religion, or nationality.”

Differences Race Conflict Diversity Brotherhood Nationality Unity In Diversity

Author:John Hume

“Before the arrival of the Credit Union, people who were from the poor background or a working class background couldn't borrow from banks.”

People Poor Class Unions Credit Backgrounds Working Class Arrivals Credit Unions Poor Background

Author:John Hume

“Every child growing up will look to their parents, my mother and my father. My grandmother lived with us. I picked up quite a bit of family lore and history from her, which was interesting.”

Looks Children Mother Father Bits Parent Interesting Growing Up Growing Grandmother My Grandmother Children Growing Up Growing Children

Author:John Hume

“I grew up in Derry, of course, and it was - Derry was the worst example of Northern Ireland's discrimination.”

Courses Worst Example Grew Grew Up Discrimination Ireland Northern Ireland Derry

Author:John Hume

“I was grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. The political violence really started in 1970-1971. The political difficulties start a little bit beyond that.”

Littles Political Opportunity Bits Differences Violence Little Bit Difficulty Grateful Making A Difference Political Violence

Author:John Hume

“I went to the local schools, the local state primary school, and then to the local grammar school. A secondary school, which technically was an independent school, it was not part of the state educational system.”

States School Independent Educational Locals Primaries Grammar Educational System Primary School Grammar School Secondary School

Author:John Hume

“In my opinion, what changed the situation eventually - and, of course, it took a lot of time to change it, things like that don't change in a week or a fortnight - was the new educational system.”

Courses Situation Opinion Week Changed Educational Don't Change Educational System Fortnight

Author:John Hume

“In working class districts, you had several families living together in the one house, and it was very difficult to get a house, because the politicians who controlled housing were doing so in a very discriminatory fashion.”

Together House Difficult Class Fashion Politician Controlled Working Class Housing Living Together

Author:John Hume

“These are the influences that everybody has. Some individuals might stand out because of one thing or another, but whether one's perception as a child of what was important or not is accurate, I don't know.”

Knows Children Important Might Individual One Thing Influence Perception Accurate Standing Out

Author:John Hume

“They believed that Britain was in Ireland defending their own interests, therefore the Irish had the right to use violence to put them out. My argument was that that type of thinking was out of date.”

Thinking Use Interest Violence Type Argument Britain Ireland

Author:John Hume

“Like everybody at that age, I read an awful lot of pulp fiction. But at the same time, I also read quite a bit of history and read that as much for pleasure as part of a curriculum.”

Age Bits Pleasure Fiction Awful Curriculum Pulp

Author:John Hume

“The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting achievements at school. My primary sporting achievement at school was that I dodged games for two complete years and was well through the third year before they discovered that I had completely avoided all games.”

Years Wells Two School Games Achievement Thirds Primaries Avoided

Author:John Hume

“The basic policy of the British Government was that since the majority of people in Northern Ireland wished to remain in the United Kingdom, that was that. We asked what would happen if the majority wanted something else, if the majority wanted to see Irish unity.”

People Ifs Government Happens Wanted United Policy Majority Unity British Kingdoms Ireland United Kingdom Northern Ireland British Government

Author:John Hume

“My father was unemployed and I was the eldest of seven children. We were very poor. And when you ask how did we support ourselves, the only funding that we had was unemployment payments.”

Children Asks Father Poor Support Seven Unemployment Payment Funding Unemployed Eldest Eldest Child

Author:John Hume

“My father was a civil servant, fairly sort of middle ranking, low to middle ranking. He worked almost entirely in what was then called Administrative Labour, dealing with employment and unemployment issues”

Father Issues Middle Lows Employment Servant Labour Unemployment Administrative Ranking Civil Servants

Author:John Hume

“When people are divided, the only solution is agreement.”

People Solutions Agreement Divided

Author:John Hume

“There were two mentalities, and both mentalities had to change. There was what I called the Afrikaner mind set of the Unionist politicians, which was holding all power in their own hands, and discriminating, and their objective was to protect their identity”

Mind Two Hands Identity Politician Protect Objectives Mentality Mind Set

Author:John Hume

“The civil rights movement in the United States was about the same thing, about equality of treatment for all sections of the people, and that is precisely what our movement was about”

People States United United States Rights Movement Equality Civil Rights Treatment Pregnancy Sections Civil Rights Movement

Author:John Hume

“The violence had broken out in both sides, but our philosophy as a party was very, very clear.”

Philosophy Sides Party Clear Violence Broken Broken Heart Both Sides

Author:John Hume

“Therefore they should come to the table and reach an agreement that would protect their identity.”

Should Identity Protect Tables Agreement

Author:John Hume

“Difference is of the essence of humanity.”

Humanity Differences Diversity Essence

Author:John Hume

About the Author

Born: January 18, 1937
Known for: Politician
Quotes: 29

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