Altruistic Instincts
“Catastrophes brings out the best in people,…I know of no other sociological finding that’s backed by so much solid evidence.”
Peace loving
“Most bayonets throughout history have probably not been used because solders just can’t do it, something holds them back…the same goes for shooting the enemy. We’ve got this fascinating evidence from the Second World War, and also from other wars, that most solders couldn’t do it.”
Horror of Fascism
“I think we to acknowledge that human beings are not only the friendliest species in the animal kingdom, they’re also clearly the cruellest.”
Possibilist
“What I’m trying to do is to redefine realism, I’m trying to say that actually the cynic is naive… If you look at empirical evidence them you find that assuming the best in other people gets you the best results.”
Economic Forum
“Almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance, right? And of the rich just not paying their fair share. It feels like I’m at a firefighters’ conference and no one is allowed to speak about water.”
Left Shift
“In the Netherlands, we had our own prime minster — a classic neoliberal — who in parliament said I believe in a big state and, deep down, the Netherlands is a socialist country.”
Open Borders
“Contact is the best medicine against hate, racism and prejudice. It’s something that we should be wary of, the more segregation we have, the more of a problem that’s going to be. It’s a bad time to be a xenophobe and a populist because the usual rhetoric from the Trumps of the world doesn’t seem to work.”
Chekhov
“Man will become better when you show him what he is like. Optimism is an alibi for complacency while hope impels you to act; it’s about possibilities.”
- Rutger Bregman is the Dutch historian and author of ‘Humankind: A Hopeful History’.
