A biography for Helmut Kohlhasn’t been written yet.
“My parents were Christians - Catholics, but not in the close-minded sense. I remember my mother to be a very pious woman, but she was never against other religions.”
“You didn't just pay lip service to the goal of overcoming the division of Europe and Germany... Rather, you put yourself at the forefront of those who encouraged us on the way to unity.”
“German and European unification are two sides of the same coin.”
“I knew that I could never win a referendum in Germany. We would have lost a referendum on the introduction of the euro. That's quite clear. I would have lost, and by seven to three.”
“There must be no question for us that we in the European Union and the eurozone stand by Greece in solidarity.”
“Europe has, to put it mildly, been in a poor state since the transition to the 21st century. This is down to national issues, European missteps, and an economic and financial crisis that crashed down on us with enough force to dislodge the essential European idea.”
“Nations with a common currency never went to war against each other. A common currency is more than the money you pay with.”
“When people come to write about my period of office, I would be very happy if they say that I made a contribution to finding the happy medium again for the Germans.”
“The army is under orders to defend every place.”
“I like everything that makes you fat.”
“We all need Europe, not just those of us in Europe. And we Germans need Europe more than the others. Germany is the country with the longest border, the most neighbours, and is, by population and economic strength, the number one in Europe.”
“When I was elected to head the German government, I was fortunate enough to find a partner in Francois Mitterrand.”
“I have made a very good living, for more than 30 years, by being underestimated.”
“Our shared historical experiences led myself and Mitterrand to the decision that we must do everything to prevent further wars.”
“People in Tel Aviv can not imagine, but in 1990, here in Leipzig or Dresden, whoever wanted to buy a car had to wait 14 years. The East Germans worked like people in the West, but the fruits of their labor were harvested by a criminal regime.”
“We humans have an abyss inside us. The more power people have, the greater the danger.”
“We Germans have learned from history. We are a peace-loving, freedom-loving people. There is only one place for us in the world: at the side of the free nations.”
“Where there is no will, no rules or laws can help.”
“Gorbachev's legacy is that he called time on communism, partially against his will, but in fact, he finished it off. Without violence. Without bloodshed. Beyond that, I am struggling to think of much else in terms of real legacy.”
“It was a stroke of luck that there were about four to six leaders in power in the mid-'80s who really trusted one another and could really make things happen.”