Angela Merkel quotes: on money, mindset, leadership and more.
“I’m still convinced: where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
“Use your prior life experience to help you lead.”
“Always be more than you appear and never appear to be more than you are.”
“I never underestimated myself. And I never saw anything wrong with ambition.”
“Don’t be afraid to make difficult decisions. Fear has never been a good adviser, neither in our personal lives nor in our society.”
“Don’t get bitter and twisted and nasty by life. You may have been wronged or cheated on; two wrongs never make a right. Instead, learn your mistakes and learn your lessons. Remain strong with your head held high.”
“Don’t get bogged down by life and other people’s problems or hang ups.”
“As a leader, you will be called upon to make tough decisions. Don’t back away from them! Instead, be bold and take a stand based on the information you have about the situation, your personal values (as well as the organization’s values), and the possible outcomes that can arise from your decision. Make the best choice you can, and then make course corrections if necessary. Your team will respond well to your decisiveness and it will allow your organization to move forward.”
“You can much better have an influence on the debate when you sit at the bargaining table and you can give input.”
“It is normal to have different opinions from time to time.”
“Value cooperation and consensus.”
“It’s much, much better to talk to one another than about one another.”
“The willingness to learn new skills is very high.”
“We are responsible for each other. I am trying to convince doubters. There is still work to do.”
“Maybe I’ve just become more hardened. The exposure to so many extreme situations tends to harden a person. You have to develop survival strategies.”
“A good compromise is one where everybody makes a contribution.”
“There is no tolerance for those people who question the dignity of others, no tolerance for those who are not willing to help where legal and human help is required – the more people who make that clear, the stronger we will be.”
“For me, it is always important that I go through all the possible options for a decision.”
“The question is not whether we are able to change but whether we are changing fast enough.”
“Freedom does not mean being free of something, but to be free to do something.”
“Look forward to the future and look forward to the unknown. Nothing stays the same and people change. One day that hurt and pain will be a distant memory.”
“Each and every one has the same right to freedom. Freedom is the very essence of our economy and society. Without freedom the human mind is prevented from unleashing its creative force. But what is also clear is that this freedom does not stand alone. It is freedom in responsibility and freedom to exercise responsibility.”
“We believe in the rights of every individual to seek his fortune, in respect for others and in tolerance.”
“Tolerance means showing respect for other people’s history, traditions, religion and cultural identity. But let there be no misunderstanding: tolerance does not mean ‘anything goes.’ There must be zero tolerance towards all those who show no respect for the inalienable rights of the individual and who violate human rights.”
“When it comes to human dignity, we cannot make compromises.”
“We don’t want the clocks to go back on Sunday; we want the clocks to be put forward.”
“Just because times change and a lot of people think that dating multiple people is the thing these days, it just isn’t a solid foundation at all in matters of the heart. I still believe in marriages that have a physically-powerful foundation.”
“I am thankful for the way I was raised, to be positive. Even when times have gotten rough I have always tried to look on the bright side. Even when I was put down, yelled at and made to feel insignificant, I still thought things were alright. I did realize when enough is enough.”
“I am thankful for all the hard times I’ve been through and all the tears I’ve cried because that has put me closer to God and made me the strong woman I am today!”
“I chose to pursue a career in physics because there the truth isn’t so easily bent.”
“I don’t believe you are simply born with the ambition of becoming Chancellor. But if you want to make a difference, if you enjoy putting ideas into practice, then the post of Chancellor has to be the one presenting the biggest opportunity of all.”
“Politicians have to be committed to people in equal measures.”
“Trying to keep a society together, trying to keep the older and the younger people together, trying to keep those who live in rural areas together with those who live in cities… is one of the most important and most noble tasks of politicians these days.”
“We will cope.”
“Whoever decides to dedicate their life to politics knows that earning money isn’t the top priority.”
“Let me say this on a personal note. Without the United States of America, I would probably not be able to stand here before you today.”
“I always wanted to know what I’d face next, even though that was maybe a bit detrimental to spontaneity. Structuring my life and avoiding chaos was more important.”
“I am courageous at the decisive moment. But I need a good deal of start-up time, and I try to take as much as possible into consideration beforehand.”
“So, one has to try to find compromises with mutual respect, but also with a clear opinion. That’s politics – always looking to find a common way forward.”
“As a woman with strong opinions talking about technology and politics is not always welcome in Germany. Nope, it’s more like having a great cheerleader team behind me. People who follow my journey know I have a slightly colorful personality. The rest skipped out long ago.”
“I’m a person who acknowledges reality.”
“The way I lived my life, I truly wasn’t an active resistance fighter.”
“I might bend, but I will never break because it’s in my nature as a strong woman.”
“I have a relatively sunny spirit, and I always had the expectation that my path through life would be relatively sunny, no matter what happened. I have never allowed myself to be bitter.”
“You could certainly say that I’ve never underestimated myself, there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious.”
