David Lange Quotes

Powerful David Lange for Daily Growth

About David Lange

David Lange (September 19, 1942 – August 7, 2005) was a prominent New Zealand politician who served as the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1989. Born in Auckland, Lange grew up during the post-World War II economic boom, and his early political influences included the left-leaning politics of his family and the social and economic changes occurring in New Zealand at the time. Lange studied law at the University of Auckland and was called to the bar in 1967. He entered Parliament in 1972 as the Labour Party MP for Mount Albert, a seat he held until his resignation in 1987. Lange's political career gained momentum following the Tura springbok tour in 1981, when he emerged as a strong anti-apartheid advocate. He became Leader of the Opposition in 1983 and led Labour to victory in the general election later that year, ousting the long-serving National Party government. As Prime Minister, Lange implemented significant policy changes, including abolishing nuclear ships from New Zealand's ports and signing the Nuclear-Free Zone of the South Pacific Treaty. His government also introduced sweeping economic reforms, such as deregulating financial markets, reducing tariffs, and privatizing state-owned enterprises. Lange's tenure as Prime Minister was marked by a confrontational style and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, earning him both admiration and criticism. Following his resignation in 1989, Lange served as the High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1995. He continued to be active in politics and wrote numerous books, including "The Making of a Revolution: New Zealand's Transition to the Eighties" (1986) and "Growing Up with Nuclear Weapons" (2000). Lange passed away in 2005 at the age of 62. His legacy continues to shape New Zealand's political landscape, particularly in the areas of foreign policy, economic reform, and nuclear disarmament.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Peace, like commerce, is a process not an act."

David Lange's quote suggests that peace, much like commerce, is not a static or one-time event but rather an ongoing, dynamic process. It implies that maintaining peace requires constant effort, dialogue, and cooperation between parties involved, similar to the continuous exchange and interaction needed for trade to thrive. In essence, peace is something that must be cultivated, nurtured, and sustained over time, rather than being a state that can be achieved once and for all.

"The United Nations Charter was a charter for peace, not a charter for peacekeeping."

David Lange's quote highlights the distinction between maintaining peace (peacekeeping) and establishing conditions that prevent conflict (peace). The United Nations Charter, as per Lange, is intended to create an environment where peace can flourish, not just to manage conflicts or keep the peace in a temporary sense. This interpretation suggests a proactive approach to international relations, where nations work together to address root causes of conflicts rather than merely reacting to crises as they occur.

"Multilateral diplomacy can be messy but it's better than unilateral militarism."

This quote emphasizes the value of multilateral diplomacy, or negotiation among multiple nations, over unilateral militarism, or the use of military force by a single nation without international consent. Lange suggests that while multilateral diplomacy can be complex and challenging due to the involvement of many parties, it is ultimately preferable to the potential destruction and conflict that unilateral militarism may bring about. In essence, he posits that cooperation and dialogue are more beneficial for global peace and stability than the use of force by a single nation.

"I don't believe in dictatorships, with or without adjectives."

David Lange's quote highlights his rejection of any form of government that concentrates absolute power in the hands of a single leader or entity. He implies that the nature (democratic, communist, fascist etc.) of such a system does not alter the fact that it denies fundamental individual freedoms and human rights. In essence, he is stating his opposition to any kind of autocracy.

"The United States of America has a role in the world that it cannot escape from."

This quote by David Lange suggests that the United States holds a significant global influence that transcends its own boundaries, making it impossible for it to avoid playing an active role on the international stage. It implies a responsibility and expectation that the U.S., as one of the world's leading powers, will continue to engage in global affairs and shape the course of history, whether willingly or unwillingly. This interpretation is based on the premise that the actions of powerful nations have far-reaching consequences for other countries and regions around the world.

We do not wish to have nuclear weapons on New Zealand soil or in our harbors. We do not ask, we do not expect, the United States to come to New Zealand's assistance with nuclear weapons or to present American nuclear capability as a deterrent to an attacker.

- David Lange

New, United States, Harbors

George W. Bush: a person who is the ultimate outcome of the American condition. Someone promoted above ability because of circumstance and organisation and empathy. You don't have to be intelligent. A moron in a hurry could know that you don't prevent war by having a war.

- David Lange

American, Bush, Promoted, Organisation

I, as prime minister, never went to Washington. Certainly never went to a presidential ranch. I hate to say this, but I wasn't going to be the pilot fish to the shark, whereas Australia quite happily bobbed along like a happy little pilot fish with a shark who was a messy eater, and I just couldn't feel like that.

- David Lange

Happy, Feel, Along, Whereas

One minute I was a clapped-out, two-guinea, legal-aid lawyer, and the next minute I was in parliament.

- David Lange

Next, Minute, Parliament, Lawyer

I had been brought up in the law and had this sort of instinct that international law operates and was there to protect principles and not to be the plaything of power and might - which I now know, of course, to be an absolute nonsense. International law should be spelled l-o-r-e.

- David Lange

Been, Brought, Plaything, International Law

You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of situations rather than by some carefully constructed, rigidly progressed ascendancy.

- David Lange

Some, Explain, Rather, Situations

This is the difficulty about talking about it without sounding big-headed, but you cannot speak of New Zealand now without my involvement in what it has become.

- David Lange

New, Talking, About, Difficulty

It's a funny thing when you think you're dead. You're not terrified of it anymore. There's a sort of a epiphany to religious thing; it's not sort of church-based, but you end up with a serenity which you didn't have before, and I just simply enjoy it. It really does sound stupid, but I've got to tell you it's made my life.

- David Lange

Stupid, My Life, Religious, Funny Thing

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