Estonian - Politician | December 26, 1953 -
I'm an American by accent, and I grew up in the States, living there between the age of three and 24.
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
AgeAmericanThreeLivingUpAccent
My American undergraduate education probably gave me a better idea of the fundamentals of what European civilization is about, better than the undergraduate education you get at most European universities.
EducationMeBetterAmericanYou
I was surprised by some of my French colleagues who immediately assumed that because I spoke English with an American accent, that, therefore, you must be a supporter of whoever is the current president of the United States. There seems to be this widespread feeling that, 'Oh, American accent - therefore, you like cowboy boots.'
ColleaguesAmericanBootsYouCowboy
George Bush and I share a love of steel brush cutters. It turns out we use the same professional brush cutter. He asked me what I did. I said I cut brush. He says, 'Oh, what do you use?' I said steel. He goes, 'Oh, me too.'
LoveMeYouProfessionalSaidSteel
It's much cheaper to influence elections than it is to go to war.
WarInfluenceGoElectionsCheaper
I'm not afraid of code. I mean, I understand how these things work. I thought that that was the one area where Estonia was playing on a level playing field.
WorkThoughtUnderstandMeanAfraid
Little by little, we're becoming a boring Nordic country.
CountryBoringLittleBecoming
Where a country lies is a subjective decision and only in part a product of its own desire. Much, if not most, is determined by what others believe about it.
DecisionBelieveCountryDesireOwn
We Estonians will do what is necessary to join the European Union.
WillUnionNecessaryEuropean Union
Brits, Scandinavians, Finns, Estonians consider themselves rational, logical, unencumbered by emotional arguments; we are businesslike, stubborn, and hard-working.
StubbornEmotionalRationalLogical
When your country is in dire straits, it doesn't matter whether you're a social democrat or not.
YouCountryMatterSocialDemocrat
Generally, people's fear and hesitancy regarding greater computerization comes from a George Orwell/'1984'-based metaphor of a single computer or data base where all your information is stored, knows everything about you, and can use this information at will and for evil purposes.
FearPeopleEvilDataInformation
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