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Garry Davis
33 quotes
“Why am I killing people in their homes... schools and factories..? Why wasn't I arrested for killing people? Whey weren't they?”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1945 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Upon bombing the city of Brandenburg (1945), as quoted by Arthur Kanegis, The Life of Garry Davis - World Citizen #1 (May 13, 2021) discussing the documentary film, The World is My Country that he directed.
“Here we are, in one little world, one planet... Everybody agrees that world government is the logical solution...”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1949 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Garry Davis Cult, Life (Jan 24, 1949)
“Peace doesn't come through hope, prayer or time; we have to reach out and grasp what is within reach.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1949 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Garry Davis Cult, Life (Jan 24, 1949)
“A lot of times it works, and a lot of times it doesn’t, and we make no bones about that... But if you’re dealing with bureaucrats who recognize documents rather than human beings, then we will issue the documents. And if the bureaucrat doesn’t recognize it, whose fault is that?”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: as quoted by Emily Langer, "Garry Davis, gadfly and World Citizen No. 1, dies at 91" The Washington Post (August 6, 2013)
“A young... United States citizen... handed me his passport... on one page... was affixed a rubber stamp stating... restricted from travel to... several... nations. ...I ...stamped ...directly beneath ...the above restriction is hereby removed.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[M]odern man—as man of ages past—doesn't know himself. He... has lost confidence in his own, innate capacity. He restricts himself. ...Man's deadliest, self-imposed, restrictive device is nationalism.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you have any restrictions artificially imposed on your own free intelligence, I want this book to be the rubber stamp which reads: The above restriction is hereby removed. ...It is an act of faith.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ever since my first mission over Brandenburg, I had felt pangs of conscience... I had begun to question the morality of punishing the German people... How many bombs had I dropped? How many men, women and children had I murdered? Wasn’t there another way...”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One world or none," wrote Wendell Willkie; "One world or none," reaffirmed Bertrand Russell and Albert Schweitzer; "One world or none," repeated Ghandi and Einstein. And in this, for the first time, I saw the provincialism of my own thinking. It was nation-centric.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Madisons, Monroes and Jeffersons... had not merely urged a central government... [they] had declared it... they ceased to be mere proponents of an idea and became practitioners... This, the World Federalists were not willing to do. ...I would bring about world government ...simply by declaring myself an actual citizen of that government and then behaving like one.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Henry Noel... had renounced his United States citizenship in July 1947 and had begun working... in... Germany, rebuilding a bombed-out church. ...It was an affirmation of the fundamental sovereignty of the individual upon which all government rests. Henry Noel... was now on humanity's side.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would secede from the old and declare the new.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In France but not of France? Not only did "international territory" provide the perfect asylum for me, but my camping out at the U.N. would dramatize the need for world law. Naturally, I would need for "international law" to govern me on "international territory", but there would be none. Perhaps in this way I could focus attention on the inadequacy of the U.N., suggesting that if it could not provide for one lone human being, it would not be able to provide for the whole of mankind. It was a desperate... but... beautiful argument for world government.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I no longer find it compatible with my inner convictions to be a party to the inevitable annihilation of our civilization, by remaining solely loyal to one sovereign nation state...”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Dedicated to those humans who... gazed... at the blue globe called "home," seeing no artificial boundaries, nations or races... experiencing the epiphanous... wholeness or holiness of their fated mission in infinite space.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Yesterday's science fiction is today's prosaic, everyday reality.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The H-Bomb is Absolute or total in its physical power. The United World Government is Absolute or total in its spiritual or qualitative power.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956)
“[T]he H-Bomb does not distinguish Americans from Russians, sinners from saints, Communists from Capitalists or White from Black. ...Even our children can claim the monster. ...Do you see that you do have a responsibility as a global person?”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) OUR BOMB
“[T]he H-bomb exists because... we only consider ourselves as belonging to a part of the whole... So the H-Bomb is a mere reflection of our ignorance...”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) OUR BOMB
“[T]he United Nations... represents nations and national interests, not you. ...[I]t can't "make" peace, but can only "maintain" it once made.... So who is going to "make" peace? The same one who "make" war... YOU and US.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) OUR BOMB
“Til now the common social contract which links you dialectically to Mankind has not been precisely formulated. ...[w] have declared existent a government which transcends the nation-state.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) THE DIALECTICAL KEY
“As citizens of United World Government we threaten no one... we fear no one... we do not contribute voluntarily to the maintenance of national armaments... we accept responsibilities to the world community, abide by its tenants of order based on morality and common sense, and modify our national and communal allegiance accordingly.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) THE DIALECTICAL KEY
“[W]e have opened roll books. Our names and the names of those who stand with us are inscribed thereon. ...[W]e are issuing passports to identify each citizen who stands with us.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) THE VOICE OF HUMANITY
“Killing is murder; plundering is thievery; destroying another's property is criminal. Yet for the soldier killing is essential, plundering is standard practice, destroying property is "winning the battle.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) THE VOICE OF HUMANITY
“As law... seeks to express man's moral nature... certain laws may be regarded as "good" and others... "bad," depending on their conformity with accepted moral standards.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: VALUES (Aug, 1956) THE VOICE OF HUMANITY
“All through history, the philosophers, Dante, Manius and Socrates, they called themselves world citizens. ...[I]t's one of the oldest ideas ...and we're the privileged ones who will decide whether the human race will go on... whether all those... prophets... seers... philosophers and poets... were justified. We here... in this day, in this age... decide whether the human race will continue and all the future people will be born.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[I]t requires intelligence... guts... courage and commitment... but the tools are there. ...The People are sovereign. The Constitution... The first three words say "We the People"... [M]ost of the state constitutions say "This Constitution derives from the People." Well, we are the People, and we have to exercise our sovereignty.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On September 11, 1948 I went to the United Nations General Assembly meeting, which was in Paris. ...[T]hey declared that piece of France international territory. ...[T]hat was the same day that the French government said [to me] to get out. ...I knew that once I got on that territory I couldn't get off. ...I told the U.N. General Assembly ..."I'm your first citizen" and the U.N said... "We don't have citizens. We only have states." I said "Yeah, but... I'm a world citizen and this is international territory.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[I]t was... a meta-moment where some human being populated a territory which had been declared by the nations as international... So it was like... I was populating that vacuum... 7,000 journalists were on my back. I became world famous in seven days... because the moment was right, the words were right and the commitment was right...”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We registered 750,000 people practically overnight. We set up the International Registry of World Citizens. We started issuing documents based upon world citizenship. ...This passport is one of the most important key documents in the world because it represents one world, no frontiers, freedom of travel and humanity.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have traveled with this document to India. I've traveled back from India... with... number 000001.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[W]e now have a world government which... has an office in Washington D.C. and we have an office in Shanghai... We have an agency called the World Service Authority which issues these passports.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have 58 years of material here and he's only given me twenty minutes on this stand. ...I'll talk to you later.”
Garry Davis (1921–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source