Chiang Kai-shek Quotes

We live in the present, we dream of the future and we learn eternal truths from the past.

The Japanese are a disease of the skin. The Communists are a disease of the heart.

War is not only a matter of equipment, artillery, group troops or air force; it is largely a matter of spirit, or morale.

If when I die, I am still a dictator, I will certainly go down into the oblivion of all dictators. If, on the other hand, I succeed in establishing a truly stable foundation for a democratic government, I will live forever in every home in China.

We write our own destiny ...we become what we do.

The sky cannot have two suns.

Democracy is liberty - a liberty which does not infringe on the liberty nor encroach on the rights of others; a liberty which maintains strict discipline, and makes law its guarantee and the basis of its exercise. This alone is true liberty; this alone can produce true democracy.

Mao is a sometime Yin sometime Yang strange man, he has a soft-as-cotton outer layer, but at the same time has sharp needles hiding inside... I do not think he could achieve anything, at the end he will be crushed inside my palm.

Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to fit the whim of the moment. Day by day we become what we do. This is the supreme law and logic of life.

We are working for a revolution. If we do not start it by improving the life of the soldiers, all slogans of reforming and improving society are but empty words.

China is the largest and most ancient of Asiatic countries, but it is not for us boastfully to talk of her right to a position of 'leadership' among those countries.

I go walking, and the hills loom above me, range upon range, one against the other. I cannot tell where one begins and another leaves off. But when I talk with God He lifts me up where I can see clearly, where everything has a distinct contour.

There are three essential factors in all human activity: spirit, materials, and action.

If one does not act, one cannot understand.

China has no desire to replace Western imperialism in Asia with an Oriental imperialism or isolationism of its own or anyone else.

We shall not lightly talk about sacrifice until we are driven to the last extremity which makes sacrifice inevitable.

The rise or fall of Shanghai means the birth or death of the whole nation.

China not only fights for her own independence, but also for the liberation of every oppressed nation. For us, the Atlantic Charter and President Roosevelts proclamation of the Four Freedoms for all peoples are corner-stones of our fighting faith.

We become what we do.

Don't be disquieted in time of adversity. Be firm with dignity and self-reliant with vigor.

If imperialism is not banished from the country, China will perish as a nation. If China does not perish, then imperialism cannot remain.

Only a fighting nation can make itself responsible for world peace, and such a nation must organize its material resources and manpower with the highest possible degree of efficiency.

I have often said China is not lacking in material resources. The question is whether we can make full and good use of them.

Give me fifty DC-3's and the Japanese can have the Burma Road.

Landowners and influential men of all kinds, especially members of political councils, ought to set an example to the people. The young members of rich families should offer themselves for military service. If not one of two sons, at least one of three sons should be ready to do so.

My good health is due to a soup made of white doves. It is simply wonderful as a tonic.

It is not worth it to sacrifice the interest of the country for the sake of my son.

You must all be aware that modern war is not a mere matter of military operations. It involves the whole strength and all the resources of the nation. Not only soldiers, but also all citizens without exception, take part.

It was entirely due to my mother [a devout Buddhist] and her kindness and perseverance that the family was saved from utter ruin. For a period of 17 years--from the age of 9 until I was 25 years old--my mother never spent a day free from domestic difficulties.