Jean Monnet Quotes

“Everybody is ambitious. The question is whether he is ambitious to be or ambitious to do.”

— Jean Monnet

“Nothing is possible without men, but nothing lasts without institutions.”

— Jean Monnet

To rewrite history on the bases of hypotheses which have not materialized is not only a fruitless task, but, in my eyes, meaningless.

— Jean Monnet

“The countries of Europe are too small to guarantee their peoples the necessary prosperity and social development. The European states must constitute themselves into a federation.”

— Jean Monnet

“Nothing important is done in the United States without lawyers.”

— Jean Monnet

“Europe's nations should be guided towards the superstate without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps, each disguised as having an economic purpose, but which will eventually and irreversibly lead to federation.”

— Jean Monnet

Have I said clearly enough that the Community we created is not an end in itself? It is a process of change, continuing in that same process which in an earlier period produced our national forms of life. The sovereign nations of the past can no longer solve the problems of the present: they cannot ensure their own progress or control their own future. And the Community itself is only a stage on the way of the organized world of tomorrow.

— Jean Monnet

“There will be no peace in Europe if the States rebuild themselves on the basis of national sovereignty, with its implications of prestige politics and economic protection ( ... ). The countries of Europe are not strong enough individually to be able to guarantee prosperity and social development for their peoples. The States of Europe must therefore form a federation or a European entity that would make them into a common economic unit.”

— Jean Monnet

“The fusion (of economic functions) would compel nations to fuse their sovereignty into that of a single European State.”

— Jean Monnet

“Make men work together show them that beyond their differences and geographical boundaries there lies a common interest.”

— Jean Monnet

“People only accept change when they are faced with necessity, and only recognize necessity when a crisis is upon them.”

— Jean Monnet

“There is no future for the people of Europe other than in union.”

— Jean Monnet

“Building Union among people not cooperation between states”

— Jean Monnet

Europe has never existed. One must genuinely create Europe.

— Jean Monnet

“There is no real peace in Europe, if the states are reconstituted on a basis of national sovereignty. ( ... ) They must have larger markets. Their prosperity is impossible, unless the States of Europe form themselves in a European Federation.”

— Jean Monnet

Nothing is possible without men; nothing is lasting without institutions.

— Jean Monnet

Via money Europe could become political in five years

— Jean Monnet

“Everyone is ambition. The question is whether he is ambitious to be or to do.”

— Jean Monnet

“Men only act in a state of necessity and usually only recognise necessity in a situation of crisis.”

— Jean Monnet

“The great thing about making cognac is that it teaches you above everything else to wait-man proposes, but time and God and the seasons have got to be on your side.”

— Jean Monnet

“Premature ideas do not exist, one must bide one's time until the right moment comes along.”

— Jean Monnet