Quotes about Haiti

In my work in Haiti, I've seen the hugely positive effects that happen when people come together to build something in the middle of the most desperate situations. Votes: 6

Civil and political rights are critical, but not often the real problem for the destitute sick. My patients in Haiti can now vote but they can't get medical care or clean water. Votes: 6

Since I do not believe that there should be different recommendations for people living in the Bronx and people living in Manhattan, I am uncomfortable making different recommendations for my patients in Boston and in Haiti. Votes: 6

The biggest public health challenge is rebuilding health systems. In other words, if you look at cholera or maternal mortality or tuberculosis in Haiti, they're major problems in Haiti, but the biggest problem is rebuilding systems. Votes: 6

As far as we are concerned, we are ready to leave today, tomorrow, at any time, to join the people of Haiti, to share in their suffering, help rebuild the country, moving from misery to poverty with dignity. Votes: 6

Paul Farmer has helped to build amazing health care system in one of the poorest areas of Haiti. He founded Partners in Health, which serves the destitute and the sick in many parts of the world from Haiti to Boston and from Russia to Peru. Votes: 6

Everything in Haiti right now is a priority. Votes: 4

It is the destiny of the people of Haiti to suffer. Votes: 4

I plan to be a part of Haiti's reconstruction and future. Votes: 4

I can't think of a better model for Haiti rebuilding than Rwanda. Votes: 4

And the fact that Haiti was occupied for 19 years by the United States, from 1915 to 1934. Votes: 4

Without question, conditions in the Haiti are worse since Aristide's removal, and continue to deteriorate. Votes: 4

The future of Haiti must be linked to the respect of the rights of every single citizen. Votes: 4

In the harrowing aftermath of Haiti's earthquake, one of the greatest needs became desperately clear: safe water. Votes: 4

Dear friends of Haiti, we are indeed on the right track. Slowly but surely we are rising from the ashes. Votes: 4

The outpouring of support from millions of people in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti has been impressive. Votes: 4

Haiti, Haiti, the further I am from you, the less I breathe. Haiti, I love you, and I will love you always. Always. Votes: 4

People think that there is a country there that these people are only around when they are on CNN. I don't think that's limited to Haiti. Votes: 4

Haiti should remind us all that there is an immediate need to invest in and promote long-term development projects that are sustainable, scalable, and proven to work. Votes: 4

The structure of apartheid is still rooted in the Haitian society. When you have apartheid, you don't see those behind the walls. That is the reality of Haiti. Votes: 4

At the same time, it is obvious that clinicians in Haiti are faced with different, and, in fact, greater, challenges when attempting to treat complications of HIV disease. Votes: 4

While Haiti has recently celebrated more than 200 years of independence from French colonial rule, the citizens of the island remain vulnerable to poverty, poor health, and political chaos. Votes: 4

What happened to Haiti is a threat that could happen anywhere in the Caribbean to these island nations, you know, because of global warming, because of climate change and all this. Votes: 4

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. Votes: 4

The only way we'll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world. We are blood brothers to the people of Brazil, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba -- yes Cuba too. Votes: 4

I never planned on doing a book about Paul Farmer or his organization. I met him in Haiti when I was on a magazine assignment. It's almost like his story sort of fell in my lap. Votes: 4

Whenever an earthquake or tsunami takes thousands of innocent lives, a shocked world talks of little else. I'll never forget the wrenching days I spent in Haiti last year for Save the Children just weeks after the earthquake. Votes: 4

Haiti is an amazing country. Even though the people there have so little, their attitudes resonate a crazy amount of love and joy. It is truly inspiring to see that. My love for the country starts with them. Votes: 4

For the kind of thing that we were showing, the budget was sufficient. As we were speaking of in Haiti, we had not done that before in exactly this form and we had to have costumes for it. Votes: 4

When the Haiti earthquake happened, I registered with UNICEF to set up an account, and posted to Twitter for people to donate to it. In a matter of a couple of hours, $30,000 had been donated. That, to me, was eye-opening. Votes: 4

As we all know, many people remain buried under tons of rubble and debris, waiting to be rescued. When we think of their suffering, we feel deeply and profoundly that we should be there, in Haiti, with them, trying our best to prevent death. Votes: 4

Haiti itself was also photographed, some of the streets, some of the mountains, rivers, streams, etc. were photographed before talking with me about how I felt about Haiti. Then the camera went to our voodoo temple and saw a serious ceremony, a real ceremony. Votes: 4

Haiti is always talking about decentralization and nothing has been so obvious, perhaps a weakness, as the centralized nature of Haitian society as being revealed by the earthquake. I mean, they lost all these medical training programs because they didn't have them anywhere else. Votes: 4

Napoleon had been fighting this army of slaves and free people in Haiti and it depleted his forces. And after the Revolution, when the French were driven out, they stopped and sold this big chunk of North America to the Americans for very little money. Votes: 4

The art of coalition command - whether it is here in Afghanistan, whether it was in Iraq or in Bosnia or in Haiti - is to take the resources you are provided with, understand what the strengths and weaknesses are and to employ them to the best overall effect. Votes: 4

The spirit of Ubuntu, that once led Haiti to emerge as the first independent black nation in 1804, helped Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador attain liberty, and inspired our forefathers to shed their blood for the United States' independence, cannot die. Today, this spirit of solidarity must and will empower all of us to rebuild Haiti. Votes: 4

Haiti is open for business! Votes: 3

Haiti is in desperate poverty. Votes: 3

Haiti kind of gets a hold of you. Votes: 3

A silenced Haiti has once again found its literary voice. Votes: 3

Haiti is closer to anarchy than it is to anything else. Votes: 3

By most accounts, Aristide is the most popular figure in Haiti. Votes: 3

Of course, the humans in Haiti have hope. They hope to leave. Votes: 3

Some people talk about Haiti as being the graveyard of development projects. Votes: 3

Haiti fell over? Who built Haiti? Two of the three little pigs?! Votes: 3

We've already donated to Haiti. It's called the U.S. income tax. Votes: 3

Eruptions of talent continue to happen in Haiti, in spite of everything. Votes: 3

The work that Partners in Health do in Haiti benefits the whole world. Votes: 3

I am currently in Haiti to help the Haitian people in their reconstruction. Votes: 3

I think that looking forward it's easy to imagine more constructive help for Haiti. Votes: 3

Vodou is one of the religions practiced in Haiti, a rich religion for the people. Votes: 3

Without question, conditions in the Haiti are worse since Aristide's removal, and continue to deteriorate. Votes: 3

The first time Haiti had free and fair democratic elections was 1990, when I was elected. Votes: 3

I have a huge heart for Haiti and will tell the world how we can help! Votes: 3

Only, in Haiti, I realized, is it possible to drink rum and haggle with a god. Votes: 3

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere; some say the poorest in the world. Votes: 3

Where there is creativity there is hope and Haiti is the most hopeful place I've experienced Votes: 3

I wanted to contribute my time, myself, my knowledge, my love, because Haiti is my everything. Votes: 3

There has not been one day since I left that I have not thought about Haiti. Votes: 3

I would want to make Radio Haiti as independent as possible, which means it can't be strictly commercial. Votes: 3

There [Haiti] were also leaders like Jean-Jacques Dessalines, whose motto was, "Cut their heads off, burn their houses." Votes: 3

Even before the earthquake in Haiti, only half the country's population had a source of safe drinking water. Votes: 3

In Haiti you had the Duvaliers for 29 years and they were very well supported by the United States. Votes: 3

Haiti is extremely stratified socially with a number of large families controlling most of the economy, and import-export. Votes: 3

Let's redefine scandal. Scandal is not who's dating who. Scandal is 1.2 million people living in tents in Haiti. Votes: 3

I want people to experience what it's like being from Haiti, coming to America, being Wyclef - multicultural, multilingual. Votes: 3

I agree with Bill Clinton that US forces should not be sent to Haiti, but not for his reasons. Votes: 3

Haiti allowed us to glimpse into a future of what disaster response might look like in a hyper-connected world. Votes: 3

In Haiti, beach bodies are simply bodies, and beach reads are simply books, because the beach is all around you. Votes: 3

I'm happy to be part of this chorus of people who are trying to tell more complex stories about Haiti. Votes: 3

Life's hard in Haiti right now. And the hardest thing is that the future does not lie with one person. Votes: 3

I have been curious about Haiti for many years. The history of the country is as fascinating as it is turbulent. Votes: 3

Haiti's economy cannot be built by and benefit just a privileged few. It must be built by and benefit all Haitians. Votes: 3

I would love to work with the artisans and take it to another dimension, the same way I did in Haiti. Votes: 3

We rushed to Haiti. We Adopt in Asia. We empathize with Africa. But struggle to humanize our struggles here in the states. Votes: 3

Two hundred years ago, our precursors in Haiti struck a blow for freedom, which was heard around the world, and across centuries. Votes: 3

The wages Haiti requires by law belong in the department of science fiction: actual wages on coffee plantations vary from $.07 to $.15 a day Votes: 3

A Wedding In Haiti is a great experience and its unaffected prose is as true a portrait of complex Haiti as you will find. Votes: 3

We should be focused on the Haiti earthquake victims, not on what contracts your company should get, if you're a friend of Bill [Clinton]. Votes: 3

Haiti, like any place, has its security problems; it has a great challenge in terms of establishing a kind of globally acceptable rule of law. Votes: 3

My son graduated high school and went to Haiti to work for his dad's organization and then extended his stay. It's incredible what he's doing. Votes: 3

The Haiti that has been waiting for help and not moving no longer exists. Enough handouts; we need hands up. Enough aid; we need trade. Votes: 3

You know, we do not want the militarization of Haiti. We do not see a Haitian as a protectorate where it relinquishes its own sovereignty. Votes: 3

An earthquake strikes Haiti, and care packages from America are among the first to arrive - and not far behind are former Presidents Clinton and Bush. Votes: 3

One can't do anything alone in Haiti. Sharing and cooperation are so deeply woven into the culture that sometimes it's hard to have a separate thought. Votes: 3

It's so hard to write about countries like Haiti because there's truths behind the misperceptions people have. But there's so much more. There are multiple truths. Votes: 3

I think if you want good things to happen for a country like Haiti, then you need to provide the circumstances where the Haitians can do that. Votes: 3

People often think of Haiti as a place where you're not supposed to have any joy. I wanted to show that this is a place with joy. Votes: 3

When I came in, Haiti was not governed by Haitians anymore. Probably mostly by NGOs. And that has done what to Haiti? It has weakened our institution. Votes: 3

I don't see any negativity with what Brad Pitt is doing with his Make It Right Foundation, or what Sean Penn is trying to do in Haiti. Votes: 3

Haiti is my country. The same way the Beatles are received in England - that's how Wyclef Jean is received in Haiti, do you know what I mean? Votes: 3

Every time I go to Haiti after a season of busy work in Europe, I feel like I'm submerging into a certain state of mind, which is very productive. Votes: 3

The Hope, Love & Healing necklace is the perfect embodiment of what we are trying to bring to Haiti through safe and sustainable housing, sanitation solutions, and water filtration devices. Votes: 3

Every time I go to Haiti after a season of busy work in Europe, I feel like I'm submerging into a certain state of mind, which is very productive. Votes: 3

Haiti was founded by African slaves who rose against their European masters, had a revolution, and created a new state. There is no other such event in Western history. Votes: 3

Sometimes people who want to understand Haiti from a political perspective may be missing part of the picture. They also need to look at Haiti from a psychological perspective. Votes: 3

Haiti was a French colony, but in 1804, the slaves rose up and defeated the French and formed the Republic. For the last 200 years, Haiti has had a very unfortunate history. Votes: 3

I wanted my new release 'Get Back Up' to benefit Haiti in their tragedy and I am blessed to use my music to help as your purchase becomes our gift. Votes: 3

One of the things we have to acknowledge is that if you look at Haiti, many billions of dollars have gone into development aid there that have not been effective. Votes: 3

Countries should think of Haiti not as a place where to do charity but a place where to invest and do business. And doing business in Haiti means poverty reduction. Votes: 3

We must consider bringing forward legislation that will facilitate the creation and implementation of businesses in Haiti. Overall, we must better position the country to compete for new market opportunities. Votes: 3

Also, people are not often aware of the way the United States' policies influence what happens in places like Haiti or El Salvador or Nicaragua. Or in Columbia right now. Votes: 3

I know how the American people care for that democratic principle. They want to see their vote respected. As we in Haiti want to see the vote of the people respected. Votes: 3

This was a "bad" example for U.S. slaves. Haiti was subjected to an embargo from the United States, which, along with many other countries, refused to recognize this new republic. Votes: 3

America's relationship with Haiti has always been very complicated. I often say to people, "Before we came to America, America came to us in the form of the American occupation from 1915 to 1934." Votes: 3

Haiti is the poorest country in our hemisphere. The earthquake and the hurricanes, it has devastated Haiti. Bill Clinton and I have been involved in trying to help Haiti for many years. Votes: 3

As a foreign worker in Haiti, speaking for myself, speaking for the workers, our organization is about 95 percent Haitian, but even foreign workers driving through, we have had very minimal security issues. Votes: 3

Haiti, which has been the main target of US intervention throughout the 20th century, is the poorest. And Guatemala, which is maybe the third major target of US intervention, probably ranks third poorest. Votes: 3

The Attorney General made another astonishing claim, that there were Pakistani terrorists possibly coming on these boats from Haiti. No one has ever seen a Pakistani coming on a boat from Haiti yet. Votes: 3

It's funny... you can make fun of AIDS or Haiti, but if you make fun of some starlet in Hollywood's looks? That's like the one thing... the line you are not to cross. Votes: 3

It turned out that [Bill] Clinton had authorized Texaco to illegally ship oil to the military junta [in Haiti] during a time when we were supposedly opposing the military junta and supporting democracy instead. Votes: 3

I don't know how your theology works, but if Jesus has a choice between stained glass windows and feeding starving kids in Haiti, I have a feeling he'd choose the starving kids in Haiti. Votes: 3

In 1994, when I went back to Haiti from exile, we established a Commission for Truth and Justice and Reconciliation. I passed the documents to the next government, and I never heard about it again. Votes: 3

Canadians have been very generous toward Haiti after the earthquake and, thanks to you, our most vulnerable people have received food, drinkable water, shelter, medical care and education. For that, we are extremely grateful. Votes: 3

I think Haiti is a place that suffers so much from neglect that people only want to hear about it when It's at its extreme. And that's what they end up knowing about it. Votes: 3

The people in the United States are some of the most generous people in the world. We saw it in Haiti. We saw it with Katrina. When devastation strikes, American people want to step up. Votes: 3

You've got to take responsibility for the hell that you've been giving to our people not only in America, but in Haiti and the Caribbean, and now in Africa. [Hillary] Clinton, your hand is bloody Votes: 3

I think Haiti is a place that suffers so much from neglect that people only want to hear about it when it’s at its extreme. And that’s what they end up knowing about it. Votes: 3

Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French... and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. Votes: 3

The diiference is that in the private sector you work for yourself, and as Prime Minister I work for every single Haitian - inside Haiti and outside - and for all those who love Haiti as well. Votes: 3

I kept going back while I was writing the novel - which never sold, may it rest in peace - and by the time it was finished I had too many connections to Haiti to walk away. Votes: 3

If science ever gets to the bottom of Voodoo in Haiti and Africa, it will be found that some important medical secrets, still unknown to medical science, give it its power, rather than the gestures of ceremony. Votes: 3

If you look just at the decades after 1934, you know it's hard to point to really inspired and positive support from outside of Haiti, to Haiti, and much easier to point to either small-minded or downright mean-spirited policies. Votes: 3

The US intervened in the Philippines to uplift and christianize the backward people, killing a couple of hundred thousand of them and destroying the place. The same thing happened in Haiti, the same thing happened with other countries. Votes: 3

It's important to remember there is a 20 year US. occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934. That represents a major transition in the history of the country and kind of reshaping partly in terms of just their direction of their attention. Votes: 3

As Minister of Foreign Affairs. I will work on deepening Haiti's links with its traditional partners from the North and the South, while exploring all the opportunities for economic, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation that may benefit my country. Votes: 3

Red carpets are pretty unpredictable. You can go from one person asking you what you're wearing to the next person asking you about the situation in Haiti. It's the extreme juxtaposition, and some of the questions can throw me! Votes: 3

For anyone inclined to caricature environmental history as 'environmental determinism,' the contrasting histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti provide a useful antidote. Yes, environmental problems do constrain human societies, but the societies' responses also make a difference. Votes: 3

When you put more than a million kids in school, you take a plane today and go to Haiti, you cannot see the results. You will see the results in 30 years when you see a different type of Haitian. Votes: 3

My decision to destroy the authority of the blacks in Saint Domingue (Haiti) is not so much based on considerations of commerce and money, as on the need to block for ever the march of the blacks in the world. Votes: 3

Coming from Haiti and growing up in Brooklyn, there's a lot of European influence when I get dressed up. I wear a lot of fitted suits, elegant cuts; I think it's cool to mash up a lot of different looks. Votes: 3

In February 2004, the two traditional torturers of Haiti - France and the United States - combined to back a military coup and send President Aristide off to Africa. The U.S. denies him permission to return to the entire region. Votes: 3

People of Haiti, I am the heir to the political philosophy, the doctrine and the revolution which my late father incarnated as president-for-life [and] I have decided to continue his work with the same fierce energy and the same intransigence. Votes: 3

I am not suggesting that all those missionary organizations working in Haiti should pack up and go home, but I am urging them to understand that Haiti does not need clever Americans with newly contrived schemes for saving their country. Votes: 3

In the West we cling to the past like limpets. In Haiti the present is the axis of all life. As in Africa, past and future are but distant measures of the present, and memories are as meaningless as promises. Votes: 3

For the better part of two centuries, outsiders have been offering explanations that range from racist to learned-sounding - the supposed inferiority of blacks, the heritage of slavery, overpopulation - for why Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Votes: 3

At the time Latin America was composed only of colonies. We were up against the biggest army of the colonial world, the Napoleonic army. Haiti was ostracized for almost a century. Surviving in that international context is in itself a feat. Votes: 3

Haiti is 10.4-million people, of whom 35 per cent are children under 15. The country has always had great potential - and this is still the case. Our ill fortune has long been a matter of bad governance. And now things have changed. Votes: 3

I want to see Haiti do better. We have the sun everywhere: that's a big asset. We have wonderful coasts, beautiful islands, mountains. Other countries that have that are known for it, but Haiti has been so focused inwards, on its problems. Votes: 3

We all would like to see a brighter future for Haiti, and I hope this conference will serve to explore many views. Respect for human rights, freedom, and the rule of law must be established in the poorest nation in our hemisphere. Votes: 3

The idea that because you're born in Haiti you could die having a child. The idea that because you're born in you know Malawi your children may go to bed hungry. We want to take some of the chance out of that. Votes: 3

The last five - six presidents of Haiti have failed miserably. And I don't think it would be an honor for me to say I want to be the next 'president.' I want to be the man by with whom change arrives. Votes: 3

When I was a child, my parents took my brothers and me to Port-au-Prince during the summer so we could get to know the country of our ancestors. Because Haiti is an island, the beach is everywhere. Haitians are particular, even snobby, about beaches. Votes: 3

I've been working in Haiti 28 years - I thought I'd sort of seen it... I've gone through a number of coups, the storms of 2008, I thought, you know, that I'd seen things as bad as they were going to get, and I was wrong. Votes: 3

I was at a little Haiti the other day in Florida. And I want to tell you, they hate the Clintons, because what's happened in Haiti with the Clinton Foundation is a disgrace. And you know it, and they know it, and everybody knows it. Votes: 3

Haiti is unique - the first successful slave revolt in history, the first black republic etc., and then when you get into the culture, the voodoo, and that wonderful synchretization of Christian and African belief and symbology, it's like nothing the world has ever seen. Votes: 3

For two hundred years Haiti has been swimming upstream. We were the first country in which independence was won by a group of slaves - black slaves. Across the water, the country that had just achieved independence - the U.S. - still practiced slavery. Votes: 3

This election marks a significant moment in Haiti; it not only serves as the basis of hope along the road to democracy, but also serves as a testament to the resolve and character of the Haitian people during their long struggle for peace, reconciliation, and prosperity. Votes: 3

Whether the people in Haiti, the young kids in Chicago that [are] going through violence, or whether you're in Atlanta or L.A. or Europe - it's not even color barriers for me - I go to where I know there's a lot of turmoil and pain. Votes: 3

The music in Haiti is all tied up in voodoo and African rhythm, and so there's this funny thing: go to a voodoo ceremony, and then go to a Catholic church and tell me which music you liked better, to which one the music is more integral. Votes: 3

Haiti is the best cure against melancholy; it is also the most creative place for me to be. My productivity has increased enormously since I moved to Haiti. That's where I write my stories, develop my ideas and write nonstop, so it's a productive time, not a sleepy time. Votes: 3

You need governance, but you also need a middle class, you need agriculture, they need to be able to export. I think that's probably the biggest issue, the job creation that could come with the kinds of things that Haiti has all the potential in the world to export. Votes: 3

I worked on human rights projects in Haiti, Cameroon, and East Asia, and the bigger ones tended to do with agriculture. My role was to make sure that there was equity that remained at the base of those projects, with the workers. I had a couple of different lives. Votes: 3

I've been dealing with pressure all life long. Coming from a very poor family in Haiti, moving to Paris, a new place, a new culture, a new language. I used that pressure to adapt, to do better than everyone else, and I moved around quite a bit as well. Votes: 3

But I think it's very key that there's a plan for Haiti. And we have to begin to - as progressives and people who are concerned about Haiti and have been concerned about Haiti, we have to begin to build some sort of consensus, a movement around the Haiti that the Haitians envision. Votes: 2

I got quite annoyed after the Haiti earthquake. A baby was taken from the wreckage and people said it was a miracle. It would have been a miracle had God stopped the earthquake. More wonderful was that a load of evolved monkeys got together to save the life of a child that wasn't theirs. Votes: 2

Sometimes people who want to understand Haiti from a political perspective may be missing part of the picture. They also need to look at Haiti from a psychological perspective. Most of the elite suffer from psychogenic amnesia. That means it's not organic amnesia, such as damage caused by brain injury. It's just a matter of psychology. Votes: 2

If any country was a mine-shaft canary for the reintroduction of cholera, it was Haiti - and we knew it. And in retrospect, more should have been done to prepare for cholera... which can spread like wildfire in Haiti... This was a big rebuke to all of us working in public health and health care in Haiti. Votes: 2

Often one finds surprises in a novel, but it is rare to find a novel that is a surprise. Richard Melo's 'Happy Talk' is just that. It is like a collision of William Gaddis, M*A*S*H and The Beguiled. It is a Haiti I could never have imagined and will not soon forget. These nurses are crazy and I wish I knew them. Votes: 2