More - Jan Balkenende Quotes

Our debt of gratitude is too great to express in words. They gave us the most precious gift -- freedom, ... Today, I salute them.

Jan Balkenende

 Debt

The election did not meet international standards, and therefore the EU is unable to accept its results,

Jan Balkenende

 

[On Nov. 2, the nation marked the one-year anniversary of van Gogh's slaying.] We must not allow ourselves to be set against each other by people who inscribe their message in blood, ... The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Jan Balkenende

 

We seem to be finding it more and more difficult to identify our common ground, as if we have lost sight of what connects us at the deepest level.

Jan Balkenende

 

Our society is the product of several great religious and philosophical traditions. The ideas of the Greeks and Romans, Christianity, Judaism, humanism and the Enlightenment have made us who we are.

Jan Balkenende

 Christianity

There is no basis for further fruitful and sustainable co-operation within the coalition. I intend to go to Her Majesty the Queen and offer the resignation of the remaining ministers and junior ministers.

Jan Balkenende

 

The horrors of the Second World War, the chilling winds of the Cold War and the crushing weight of the Iron Curtain are little more than fading memories. Ideals that once commanded great loyalty are now taken for granted.

Jan Balkenende

 War

We've had a very interesting working dinner, ... We can start negotiations with Turkey on the basis of the analysis of the commission.

Jan Balkenende

 Analysis

I believe that serious reflection about the values we Europeans share is crucial for the vitality and energy of the European Union.

Jan Balkenende

 Energy

We can prevent Europe from becoming a spiritless machine that, in the end, grinds to a halt.

Jan Balkenende