David Ben-Gurion

"A nation's soul is revealed in its art and literature."

"We are obligated to build a society of justice and compassion."

"The measure of our age is what we build for the future."

"We must never confuse the comfort of complacency with the achievement of peace."

"A wise people learns from the mistakes of others."

"We are called to be a light unto the nations."

"The future belongs to those who refuse to surrender their dreams."

"We must build institutions that will outlive us and serve those who come after."

"A people united by shared values can overcome any adversity."

"The pioneers and builders of the Jewish state were not content to be merely passive subjects but insisted on being active agents of their own destiny."

"In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles."

"We do not rejoice in victories, we only rejoice when a new kind of cotton comes in, or a new kind of silk."

"Creativity is the ability to see connections between different things and bring them together in new ways."

"If you wish to be as fortunate as I have been, you must learn to work harder than anyone else."

"The Jewish people are not a minority but a civilization waiting to be reborn in its own land."

"Without knowing where we have come from, we cannot know where we are going."

"A man who does not know his past is condemned to repeat it."

"We have absorbed many exiles and we shall absorb still more; and we shall be ready for them."

"The measure of a civilization is its willingness to absorb and adapt new ideas."

"Every Jew is responsible for every other Jew—this is the foundation of our people."

"To be a Jew means to carry the weight of history and the hope of the future simultaneously."

"Do not underestimate the power of an idea whose time has come."

"A leader must possess vision, not merely sight; he must see not what is, but what should be."

"The duty of a statesman is to act for the benefit of his people, not to seek their approval."

"In building a nation, dreams are blueprints and determination is the foundation."

"We must always remember that every person has the capacity for greatness."

"The strength of a people lies not in their weapons but in their unity of purpose."

"Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world."

"The Jewish state will be judged not by the size of its territory but by the quality of its people."

"To persist when all others have abandoned hope—that is the mark of true character."