Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

Nothing important is done in the United States without lawyers.

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

There is no real peace in Europe, if the states are reconstituted on a basis of national sovereignty. (…) They must have…

— Jean Monnet

“People only accept change in necessity and see necessity only in crisis.”

— Jean Monnet

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

— 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,…

— Jean Monnet

There will be no peace in Europe if the States rebuild themselves on the basis of national sovereignty, with its implications of…

— Jean Monnet

Have I said clearly enough that the Community we created is not an end in itself? It is a process of change,…

— 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…

— Jean Monnet

Via money Europe could become political in five years

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

Building Union among people not cooperation between states

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

The countries of Europe are too small to guarantee their peoples the necessary prosperity and social development. The European states must constitute…

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet

Europe has never existed. One must genuinely create Europe.

— Jean Monnet

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

— Jean Monnet