 Everywhere, authority and tradition have to justify themselves in the face of questions. |
| The time has come - and must come - for multilateral conversations about a secure peace in all of Europe. |
| Some fatherlands are difficult. Germany is one of them. But it is our fatherland. Here is where we live and work. |
| The secret of big and revolutionary actions also consists in discovering the tiny step that is simultaneously a strategic step, insofar as it entails additional steps in the direction of a better reality. |
| War is not the quintessential emergency in which man has to prove himself, as my generation learned at its school desks in the days of the Kaiser; rather, peace is the emergency in which we all have to prove ourselves. |
| Beyond peace, there is no longer any existence possible. |
| Ladies and gentlemen, on the occasion of my election I received many letters from people representing all segments of the population and all professions, especially from the younger generation, linking my inauguration with great - far too great - expectations. |
| Trust cannot be commanded; and yet it is also correct that the only one who earns trust is the one who is prepared to grant trust. |
| I appeal to the responsibility of the blocs and the major powers, not to seek security in the arms race, but rather in a meeting for joint disarmament and arms limitations. |
| Not less, but more democracy - that is the demand, that is the great goal that we have to prescribe for ourselves, and especially for our youth. |
| Disarmament requires trust. |
| Ladies and gentlemen, I take office at a time in which the world is living in extreme contradictions. |
| We have to recognize that the freedom of the individual has to be protected not only from the power of the state, but even more so from economic and societal power. |
| The first thing I see is the obligation to serve peace. |
| Therefore it does not help to sneer at the imperfection of today's reality or to preach absolutes as a daily agenda. |
| Liberal democracy must finally become the vital element of our society. |
| One of our most noble political tasks is to open up trust. |
| Insecurity and resignation mingle with the hope for a better order. |
