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Gaddafi Quotes

Commentary on a fallen regime.

These Gaddafi quotes capture international pressure during the Libyan conflict and the shifting military situation on the ground in Misrata and beyond. For related commentary, see our Always quotes collection.

Together, the western elites and Gaddafi helped to lead us into a simplistic two-dimensional vision of the world - full of exaggerations and falsehoods. A fake bubble of certainty that has imprisoned us in the West - and is now...

Quotes by Adam Curtis

We are making progress militarily, there is no doubt about that. You've seen the reports from Misrata, although reports of the Gaddafi forces completely pulling out of Misrata seem to be exaggerated.

Quotes by William Hague

Time is not on Gaddafi's side. People ask about the exit strategy. It's Colonel Gaddafi who needs an exit strategy because this pressure will only mount and it will be intensified over the coming days and weeks.

Quotes by William Hague

Bin Laden always wanted to get rid of Mubarek and Ben Ali and Gaddafi and so on, claiming that they were all infidels working for America, and in fact, it was millions of ordinary people who peacefully, more or less...

Quotes by Robert Fisk

Against Quotes

Yes, Gaddafi was a ruthless dictator and supporter of terrorism during his 40-year reign in Libya, but he had become an ally of the United States in the fight against radical jihadism after 9/11.

Quotes by Pete Hoekstra

I have long believed, especially after the unprovoked Western attack on Iraq and the ransacking of the Gaddafi regime in Libya, that North Korea would not desist from the full development of its nuclear weapons program, despite threats and sanctions...

Quotes by Paul Keating

Like most dictators, Col Gaddafi detests the metropolis. His vision of Libya is a kind of Bedouin romantic medievalism, suspicious of universities, theatres, galleries and cafes, and so monitors the cities' inhabitants with paranoid suspicion.

Quotes by Hisham Matar

Libyans are deeply unsettled by Gaddafi and his regime's careless contempt for human life. The dictatorship is willing to employ any methods necessary to remain in power.

Quotes by Hisham Matar

We have defeated Gaddafi on the battlefield; now we must defeat him in our imagination. We must not allow his legacy to corrupt our dream. Let's keep focused on the true prize: unity, democracy, and the rule of law. Let's...

Quotes by Hisham Matar

Always Quotes

Born to a tribal Bedouin family of nomadic desert shepherds in the region of Tripoli, Gaddafi was profoundly anti-colonialist. It is affirmed that his paternal grandfather died fighting against the Italian invaders when Libya was invaded by them in 1911.

Quotes by Fidel Castro

In primary school in south-eastern Nigeria, I was taught that Hosni Mubarak was the president of Egypt. I learned the same thing in secondary school. In university, Mubarak was still president of Egypt. I came to assume, subconsciously, that he...

Quotes by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Actually I can't imagine Nato troops on the ground and I think it's also important to send that very clear message to the UN and other organisations right now so that appropriate plans can be in place in due time...

Quotes by Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Frequently Asked Questions

What do these Gaddafi quotes mostly discuss?
They focus on international pressure during the Libyan conflict, military developments on the ground, and reflections following his fall from power.
Was there disagreement about the military situation?
Yes, one quote disputes claims that Gaddafi's forces had fully withdrawn from Misrata, calling those reports exaggerated.
How is Gaddafi connected to other regional figures in these quotes?
One quote places him alongside Mubarak and Ben Ali as leaders that extremist figures like bin Laden viewed as illegitimate, while ordinary citizens ultimately drove change themselves.
What challenge is described after Gaddafi's defeat?
One quote argues the harder task was defeating his legacy in the national imagination, not just on the battlefield, to protect unity and democracy going forward.
Where can I read more related political commentary?
Our Always quotes and Attack quotes pages cover related political and conflict themes.

Observers weigh in on both the battlefield defeat and the harder task of reshaping national identity afterward. Explore more in Against quotes and Attack quotes.