--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't believe in binational states…" description: "\"I don't believe in binational states. There are wonderful examples of this, prosperous multinational states: Switzerland, Switzerland and Switzerland. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/amos-oz-1478_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-binational-states-the_923585.jpg" --- # I don't believe in binational states. There are wonderful… ![“I don't believe in binational states. There are wonderful examples of this, prosperous multinational states: Switzerland, Switzerland and Switzerland. Everywhere else - be it Cyprus, Yugoslavia or the Soviet Union, it ended in a terrible bloodbath.” quote by Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/amos-oz-1478_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-binational-states-the_923585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/amos-oz-1478_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-binational-states-the_923585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/amos-oz-1478_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-binational-states-the_923585.jpg) > “I don't believe in binational states. There are wonderful examples of this, prosperous multinational states: Switzerland, Switzerland and Switzerland. Everywhere else - be it Cyprus, Yugoslavia or the Soviet Union, it ended in a terrible bloodbath.” [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Oz argues that binational states tend to collapse into violence, citing historical examples, and prefers stable multinational arrangements. **In simple terms:** Binational states often fail, multinational ones succeed. Key Takeaway Favor stable multinational structures. Themes politics history conflict nation‑building Mood cautious analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - policy making - international relations - peace negotiations Key Concepts nationalism ethnic tension state design Questions to Reflect On - Can multinational states handle deep ethnic divisions? - What safeguards prevent conflict in diverse nations? A Different Perspective Historical examples may not predict future outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cyprus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyprus/) [Multinationals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multinationals/) [Prosperous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperous/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Switzerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/switzerland/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [“It was at a conference in Cyprus in 1976, where the theme was the rights of small nations, that I first met Edward Said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-at-a-conference-in-cyprus-in-1976-where-the-theme-was-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Lawn as white as driven snow; Cyprus black as e'er was crow; Gloves as sweet as damask roses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lawn-as-white-as-driven-snow-cyprus-black-as-e-er-was-crow-gloves-as/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [My parents came from northern Cyprus in 1959 to the U.K. and they started a restaurant. I saw how hard they worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/touker-suleyman/my-parents-came-from-northern-cyprus-in-1959-to-the-u-k-and-they/) [Touker Suleyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/touker-suleyman/) > [We're strongly in favor of the U.N. plan for a solution to the Cyprus conflict. Hopefully a solution can be found before the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/we-re-strongly-in-favor-of-the-u-n-plan-for-a-solution-to-the-cyprus/) [Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/) > [It doesn't take a genius to see what happens when the entitlement state outgrows the economy upon which it rests. The time of Greece,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/it-doesn-t-take-a-genius-to-see-what-happens-when-the-entitlement/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Cyprus was a breath away from economic collapse. It was a big battle in which we came out wounded, but upright and determined to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicos-anastasiades/cyprus-was-a-breath-away-from-economic-collapse-it-was-a-big-battle/) [Nicos Anastasiades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicos-anastasiades/) > [In college, I was a researcher/writer for 'Let's Go: Europe,' assigned to Crete and Cyprus. I was supposed to go to England, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/in-college-i-was-a-researcher-writer-for-let-s-go-europe-assigned-to/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [The fact that Turkey, the U.S., and Russia and other countries are really interested in Cyprus because of its strategic location... the fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/the-fact-that-turkey-the-u-s-and-russia-and-other-countries-are/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [I've lived in Liverpool, London, Belfast, Germany, Coventry, Dorset, and Cyprus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-doherty/i-ve-lived-in-liverpool-london-belfast-germany-coventry-dorset-and/) [Pete Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-doherty/) > [It's a Cyprus of misery and soup kitchens and a state which cannot meet basic obligations. It can only cause me grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicos-anastasiades/it-s-a-cyprus-of-misery-and-soup-kitchens-and-a-state-which-cannot/) [Nicos Anastasiades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicos-anastasiades/) > [Greece is not the country which has occupied and illegally invaded and illegally occupied Cyprus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-tsipras/greece-is-not-the-country-which-has-occupied-and-illegally-invaded/) [Alexis Tsipras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-tsipras/) > [I grew up in Cyprus and Egypt, these fantastic places I remember fondly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-obreht/i-grew-up-in-cyprus-and-egypt-these-fantastic-places-i-remember-fondly/) [Tea Obreht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-a-obreht/) > [Two goddesses now must Cyprus adore; The Muses are ten, and the Graces are four; Stella's wit is so charming, so sweet her fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callimachus/two-goddesses-now-must-cyprus-adore-the-muses-are-ten-and-the-graces/) [Callimachus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callimachus/) > [Turkey will be in Cyprus forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/recep-tayyip-erdogan/turkey-will-be-in-cyprus-forever/) [Recep Tayyip Erdogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/recep-tayyip-erdogan/) > [The people of Cyprus have sent a strong message... of stability, credibility and change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicos-anastasiades/the-people-of-cyprus-have-sent-a-strong-message-of-stability/) [Nicos Anastasiades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicos-anastasiades/) ## More by Amos Oz > [I find the family the most mysterious and fascinating institution in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-find-the-family-the-most-mysterious-and-fascinating-institution-in/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“All the profits that Papa made by the sweat of his brow from his mill she extorted from him and spent the lot on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/all-the-profits-that-papa-made-by-the-sweat-of-his-brow-from-his-mill/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Nobody ever predicted, a week before President Sadat came to Jerusalem in 1977, that his arrival would be the beginning of a peace process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/nobody-ever-predicted-a-week-before-president-sadat-came-to-jerusalem/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Every country in the world should follow the example of President Trump and move the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. But simultaneously, there should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/every-country-in-the-world-should-follow-the-example-of-president/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Actually, who hasn't been through the ghastly experience of sitting in front of a blank page, with its toothless mouth grinning at you: Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/actually-who-hasn-t-been-through-the-ghastly-experience-of-sitting-in/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [I think loathing begets fanaticism, and in the end, loathing begets hatred and violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-think-loathing-begets-fanaticism-and-in-the-end-loathing-begets/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Literature is about telling stories. Now, the gift of literature is that, in some lucky cases, reading a novel or a story makes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/literature-is-about-telling-stories-now-the-gift-of-literature-is/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Very often, fanaticism begins at home. It begins inside the family. It begins with the urge to change our kin, to change our beloved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/very-often-fanaticism-begins-at-home-it-begins-inside-the-family-it/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [When I need to take a side, I write a newspaper article and I tell my government, "You should not do that, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/when-i-need-to-take-a-side-i-write-a-newspaper-article-and-i-tell-my/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [We have to carry through to the next day and hope that we will be okay tomorrow as we are today and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/we-have-to-carry-through-to-the-next-day-and-hope-that-we-will-be/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Trump is many things. He is pampered. He is an immature man. He is a teenager craving unconditional, endless love from everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/trump-is-many-things-he-is-pampered-he-is-an-immature-man-he-is-a/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [The only way to keep a dream, any dream at all, to keep a dream perfect and rosy and intact and unsullied is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/the-only-way-to-keep-a-dream-any-dream-at-all-to-keep-a-dream-perfect/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“Judaism and Christianity, and Islam too, all drip honeyed words of love and mercy so long as they do not have access to handcuffs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/judaism-and-christianity-and-islam-too-all-drip-honeyed-words-of-love/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Never cut loose from your longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/never-cut-loose-from-your-longings/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [If people are pro-Israel, they are pro-Israel one-hundred-and-twenty percent. If they are anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian, they tend to be pro-Palestinian one-hundred-and-twenty percent. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/if-people-are-pro-israel-they-are-pro-israel-one-hundred-and-twenty/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) [Explore all 223 Amos Oz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't believe in binational states. There are wonderful examples of this, prosperous multinational states: Switzerland, Switzerland and Switzerland. 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