Gustav Stresemann Quotes & Sayings

“As a consequence of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the officer corps of the old army became part of this class, as did that part of the younger generation who, in the old Germany, would have become officers or civil servants.”

“The life of the individual is a continuous combat with errors and obstacles, and no victory is more satisfying than the one achieved against opposition.”

“Just as the child is father to the man, so the impressions of one's youth remain the most vivid in manhood.”

“To contrast national solidarity and international cooperation as two opposites seems foolish to me.”

“The great men of a nation reach out to all mankind. They are unifying, not divisive; internationally conciliating and still great nationally.”

“If one seeks to analyze experiences and reactions to the first postwar years, I hope one may say without being accused of bias that it is easier for the victor than for the vanquished to advocate peace.”

“In every man the memory of the struggles and the heroes of the past is alive. But these memories are not incompatible with the desire for peace in the future.”

“The courtesy which most becomes a victor was denied to Germany for a long time.”

“Nothing is more misleading to the youth of a nation than to state the outcome immediately after the beginning as if nothing could have taken place in between.”

“Historians still often see the end of the war as meaning nothing more for Germany than lost territories, lost participation in colonization, and lost assets for the state and individuals. They frequently overlook the most serious loss that Germany suffered.”