Ataturk According to Ataturk

Seeing me is not necessarily seeing my face. If you understand and feel my ideas and my feelings , that is enough.
1929 (Date of the Month, Issue : 65, 1929)

The great dead don’t need mourning, they need devotion to their ideas.
(BH from Atatürk, p. 120)

As a spiritual legacy, I do not leave any strict texts, no dogma, no frozen and stereotyped rules. My spiritual heritage is science and reason.
Those who come after me will confirm that in front of the difficult and deep-rooted difficulties that we have to overcome, we may not fully achieve our goals, but we never compromise, and that we take reason and knowledge as our guide. Time is turning rapidly,
and even the perceptions of nations, societies and individuals about happiness and misery are changing. In such a world, it would be to deny the development of reason and science to claim that it brings about unchangeable decrees .
It is obvious what I want to do for the Turkish nation and what I am trying to achieve. After me, those who want to adopt me
If they accept the guidance of reason and knowledge on the main axis, they will be my spiritual heirs.
(Ismet Giritli, Kemalist Revolution and Its Ideology, p. 13)

Once upon a time, efforts may appear that want to forget or make me forget.
There may be those who deny their ideas and criticize me. These
may even be among those I know and believe in. However, the seeds we sow are so
succinct and powerful that these ideas come back from India and Egypt, and their
fruitful results fill the hearts.
1937 (BH from Atatürk, p. 6, 128)

As in all periods of my life, not a single moment has passed between the crises and disasters of recent times that I would not take pleasure in sacrificing all my peace and rest, all my personal feelings for the salvation and happiness of the nation . In my
struggles, which occupied all periods and parts of my military and political life , it has always been to march towards the goals that the nation and homeland need, relying on the national will .
1920 (Atatürk’s SDI, p. 61)

You may well know that the goal I have pursued in my entire life up to this point
has never been personal. Whatever I have thought and done has always
been in the name and interest of my country, nation and army. I have never considered
my own superiority and distinction.
1914 (Atatürk’s Private Letters, Sadi Borak, p. 40)

I have no other purpose than to work for the salvation and happiness of the country and nation . This provides enough joy and pleasure for a human being. My friends and all my citizens who are with me follow the same purpose . They have understood in a real and serious way that personal and family peace and happiness stand with the peace and happiness of the nation , and that it is possible with the security and immunity of the country
. I and those who are with me are sure of the greatness of our goal and the righteousness of our path. We have no doubt or hesitation in this .
We have enough knowledge of the recent and distant history of our nation, the Turkish nation . Eyeing the lessons of the past, for the life of today and the future
We are not deprived of the attention to keep in front of you. We do not brag about our services.
We are consoled with the hope that our services will be a reason for pride.
1925 (Atatürk’s SDV p. 209)

A word he said to those around him:
Drop the words of praising me; Tell them what we will do for the future!
(Afetinan, Atatürk’s BNM p. 37)

I have passions, very big ones; but these ambitions are not related to the satisfaction of
material ambitions such as occupying high positions or making large sums of money
. I am looking for the realization of these ambitions in the success of a great idea that will bring great benefits to my country and give me the living peace of mind of a duty that has been done properly .
This has been the principle of my whole life . I had it at a very young age and I
will protect it until my last breath .
1914 (Melda Özverim, MK and CL, p. 42)

God knows, I have never had a conscientious aim in my life other than to be a useful member of the army . Because I believed that for the protection of the homeland and the happiness of the nation, first of all, it was necessary to prove to the world that our army is the old Turkish army
. The violence of my ambitions of this belief probably made me look rather overbearing. But time enforces the intellectual truths arising from pure and clean minds, even if they are reluctant to accept them.
1912 (Atatürk’s Private Letters, Sadi Borak, p. 11)

Above all other duties, we also had a duty of conscience; it was to put our life and existence into the bosom of this nation while everyone was doing some trivial duties , and to deal with them against the enemy!
1920 (Atatürk’s SDI, p. 106)

I understand that my duty is not over and the responsibility I have undertaken is high and difficult . Friends, this task will not end; It will continue after I become soil ! I will gladly and happily give my whole being to this sacred duty, and I will be happy to take on its high responsibility. I will be able to continue my task successfully. Because I see that in the heart and conscience of our great nation, there is an unwavering trust and confidence in me . This is great power, great authority for me.
1925 (Atatürk’s SDII, p. 236)

If we commit any mistake in front of the nation and history, we are not people who
will never hesitate to feel and pay the responsibility for it in our conscience and common sense .
1925 (Mazhar Müfit Kansu, with E.Ö.K. Atatürk, Vol: I, p. 160)

The rank and prosperity gained thanks to the nation and country have an importance and a
sanctity. We left them only to do one last duty of honor that we owe to this beloved nation and country . It is the duty of every self-conscious citizen to participate in the voice of the nation to save its own life and to defend its own legitimate right
. If this nation, this country is to be disintegrated, under the ruins of public dishonor, the personal honor of this or that will be torn to pieces. We participated with our souls in the nation that took action to save that public honor .
We sacrificed personal ranks and positions that might hinder our participation, for the sake of a goal to save public honor.
1919 (Atatürk’s SDIII, p. 6)

When necessary, I will give my life to the Turkish nation as my greatest gift .
1937 (Atatürk’s TTB IV. p. 590)

He said because he donated his goods to the nation:
Property and property give weight to me. I feel great relief in returning these to my noble nation . What comes of wealth? man’s wealth must be in his own spiritual personality!
1937 (Rükneddin Fethi Olcaytuğ, Thoughts and Analysis About Atatürk, 1943, p. 44)

Freedom and independence are my character. I am a man created with the love of independence, which is the most precious legacy of my nation and great ancestors! This love of mine is known by those who know every aspect of my family, private and official life from my childhood until today
. In my opinion, the establishment and survival of honor, dignity, honor and humanity in a nation depends on the freedom and independence of that nation . Personally, I attach great
importance to these features, and I consider it essential and essential for my nation to have the same characteristics in order to claim the existence of these features in myself . I
must remain a son of an independent nation in order to live ! For this reason, national independence
I think it’s a matter of life. If the interests of the nation and country require it , I appreciate with great sensitivity the friendship and political relations with each of the nations that make up humanity, which are necessary for civilization . However, I am the fierce enemy of
any nation that wants to enslave my nation , until they give up this desire !
1921 (Atatürk’s SDIII., p.24)

Savarona or adopted in Romanian King Karol, during talks with Germany to contact the Sudeten issue between Czechoslovakia and the Ataturk from Czechoslovakia, President Benes some suggestions on over to ask no, talks of the time to listen to Minister of Foreign Affairs Tevfik Rüştü they say Aras:
Your Highness I listened carefully to what the King had to say. Do they want me to advise a head of state to leave a piece of his country to the Germans ? How can a man like me, who has fought all his life for the independence of his homeland and not to give an inch of his land to anyone else, become an intermediary in something contrary to his beliefs ? I see, Your Majesty, they do not know me and my character well.
1938 (Nejat Saner, Atatürk and After, Cumhuriyet newspaper, 13. 11. 1970)

I am one of the most thrown towards death.
I participated in many battles under the rain of bullets and cannonballs . Even death once
slipped past my heart . There was a clock on my heart, and this clock broke the force of the bullet fragment.
1928 (Atatürk’s SDIII, p. 82)

I always have to repeat and I find it useful to repeat that if I have done any service to my nation, if I have taken the lead in any undertaking, the main source of this service and enterprise is that I am connected with respect and love, and will continue to contribute to happiness and well-being with respect and love.
It is based on you, my beloved nation, to whom I will give my existence, my life. In a nation, there can be people who think good things and heroes who are capable of doing extraordinary things
. But such people alone cannot be anything; unless they are the expression and representative of a general feeling! I would like to know the thoughts and feelings of my nation closely, and to express the talents and needs I see in my beloved nation.
I didn’t do anything else. I pride myself on sensing and recognizing his abilities and emotions
. To have seen the feature in my nation that can give birth to today’s victories … This is what my happiness consists of.
1923 (Atatürk’s SDII, p. 161)

Like our friends and all members of the nation, if I have contributed to our national cause , if there is strength and success in this work, do not attribute it to me . You can only attribute it to the spiritual personality of the whole nation. I am happy to be a humble individual in this high and spiritual personality of the nation.
Gentlemen, the nation appeared as a completely spiritual person and as a united mass, and by preserving this supreme unity, it eliminated those who were hostile to it.
1923 (Atatürk’s SDII, p. 115)

I cannot describe the pleasure and happiness of meeting with my nation closely and far from being ostentatious . Whenever I see myself in front of my nation, whenever
I look at the faces of a few members of my nation, the light that comes from there to my soul and conscience becomes the most precious flame of inspiration and efficiency for me!
1923 (Gazi and Revolution, Mahmut Soydan, Milliyet newspaper, 7. 2. 1930)

The battle that I led and led on 30 August is the first and last battle I led, even though the Turkish nation was with me .
Do you know how strong a person finds himself when he feels with the nation ? It is
difficult to describe it.
1928 (Atatürk’s SDIII, p. 83)

My biggest pillar and strength in my life is the trust and support I receive from my citizens . My greatest moral and conscientious concern in all my duties is to constantly pay attention to the honor and sanctity of your trust.
1927 (Atatürk’s TTB IV, p. 532)

Whether it is a job to be done for the benefit of this country and this nation,
I will not take it into consideration; it is not possible. However, the work should really benefit the nation and I should believe that the offer was made sincerely.
(Ibrahim Necmi Dilmen, Çığır Magazine, number: 74 – 75, 1939, p 11)

For me, the greatest position and reward in the world is to live as a member of the nation . If God Almighty has helped me in this, I would be grateful. I will be proud to be at the service of the nation until the end of my life as I am today.
1923 (Atatürk’s SDII, p. 129)

I have never promised the nation anything that I could not deliver. When I
said I would do it, there were people who didn’t believe it. Nevertheless, I moved.
You see, we succeeded. I and those who work with me have the confidence that we
will successfully reach our new goals. What I have said so far has come true
, all my imaginations have not denied me, and the nation has seriously and sincerely
helped and supported me. That’s why I need this help and support to reach new goals ; Don’t keep him away from me!
1923 (Gazi and Revolution, Mahmut Soydan, Milliyet newspaper, 7. 12. 1929)

Ataturk is one of us.
1935 (Şükrü Kaya, Journal of Turkish Women, Issue: 6, 1966, p. 7)

It is also a mistake to talk about my glory and honor. Listen carefully to my advice, this is my advice that if any man comes out of you, he makes a case for glory and
wants to be unique, he is in trouble; This is the man whose head will be broken first! If the
Turkish nation to which I belong has glory and honor, I also have the honor of being a member of it, I am never different.
1923 (Damar Arıkoğlu, My Memories, p. 304)

I think that I do not have more height than any of the members of the nation. If I have seen too many initiatives, it is not from me, but from the composition of the nation . If
it weren’t for you, if your conscientious inclinations hadn’t been a fulcrum for me ; none of my attempts would have happened.
The understanding that left the virtues of the nation to individuals was born out of the system and procedure of the old administrations . Once upon a time, the existing state and the way it was established were only aimed at satisfying the interests and desires of a person.
The nation that serves these desires and aspirations of individuals could never
take their share of the honor of the greatness shown , but if there were mistakes and incompetence, they would be blamed on the nation. Today If this situation does not exist, if the nation has shown its greatness to the world as it is, the surplus is not in me, but in the nature of today’s administration. As long as this form exists, what anyone who will ever rise to this position will do cannot be otherwise.
1923 (Atatürk’s SDII, p. 159)

Of course, it is not worthy, of course, not necessary to give more importance to a person from you than you, to focus everything on the personality of a member of the nation ,
and to expect a single person of a high community to clarify and express the issues of a society belonging to the past, present, future and all these times.
1925 (Atatürk’s MAD, pp. 19-20)

A word he said to his friends who went to foreign countries or international conferences :
– Your voice is my voice, don’t forget!
(Falih Rıfkı Atay, Çankaya, 1969, p. 549)

I tell my thoughts to my loved ones as they are. I am also a man incapable of carrying an unnecessary secret in my heart. Because I am a man of the people. I must always speak my mind in public.
People will lie to me if I’m wrong. But so far I have not seen the public deny me in this frank speech .
1937 (Ulus newspaper, 20. 3. 1937)

I can only destroy what I can do better; I can not destroy what I cannot do.
(BH from Atatürk, p. 86)

I am that man that I give orders at points where the army can definitely lead the country and the nation to a conclusion . But I do not give orders in the fields of science and especially social science . In this field, I would like scholars to show me the right way . Therefore, if you trust your own knowledge and culture, tell me. Show the beautiful aspects of social science, I will follow.
1923 (Ahmet Cevat Emre, History of Two Generations, p. 316)

I don’t want to get married just to get married. To create a new family life in our homeland , I must first set an example myself.
Does a woman stay like a bogey ?
1923 (Ismail Habib Sevuk, For Ataturk, p. 25)

Life is short. To celebrate and crown this, the means that people usually consider reasonable is marriage. Those who do not abide by this general rule are very limited and exceptional. Those who make these exceptions are those who are more miserable not because of the evil of the main rule, but because they are convicted of reasons that prevent them from believing in this beautiful rule , perhaps because they are afraid of getting married.
It is an undeniable fact that people, life cannot be without women. Those who are married will have provided the essentials of life and directed all their thoughts and wishes to a purpose, a profession, a purpose. But may luck well the souls and hearts of the spouses!
1914 (Salih Bozok-Cemil S.Bozok, Always With Atatürk, p. 172)

The heart of a newly married person is full of feelings of life, love and happiness. This is the most precious time. People commemorate these bright and joyful moments in
their lives as a very important and historical event for their life, with the same emotion , until they die . I have not experienced this; but, more or less,
I found this result because I analyzed life and people .
Those who see a few of the various aspects of life inevitably observe their undiscovered aspects after marriage.
This observance can be very sweet or very bitter.
1914 (Salih Bozok-Cemil S. Bozok, Always With Atatürk, p. 171)

Anyone who can make his wife happy should marry and have children.
Do not look at me; An example in this matter is İsmet Pasha. My life is arranged differently. However, I did my experiment. Later I realized that this job was not something I could achieve… Love of children is a necessity for human beings. Especially as the age progresses, this need makes itself felt more strongly. That’s why I don’t want to leave Ülkü with me.
1936 (Abdulkadir Inan, Journal of Turkish Culture, Issue: 25, 1964, p. 62)

What a beautiful childhood… Aren’t children such cute and sweet creatures?
Do you know what I like the most ? Not knowing hypocrisy, expressing all their wishes and feelings as they feel like…
(Hasan Rıza Soyak, Atatürk in Photographs and Atatürk’s Personalities, 1965, p. 78 – 79)

He told the children who greeted him in Bursa:
Little ladies, little gentlemen! You are all a rose, a star, a glimmer of happiness of the future ! You are the one who will bring the country to the real light. Think about
how important and valuable you are and work accordingly.
We expect a lot from you ; girls, boys!
1922 (Atatürk’s SDV, p. 30)

Most families have a very bad habit all along; They do not let their children speak and
do not listen. When the poor people get involved, “Don’t get involved in the conversation of the elders!” he says, they keep quiet. What a wrong, even harmful move! On the contrary,
it should encourage children to speak freely, to express what they think and hear as they are ; Thus, it is possible to correct their mistakes and prevent them from being liars and hypocrites in the future. In short , we should accustom our children to express their opinions openly without hesitation, to defend their sincere beliefs , and to respect the sincere thoughts of others . At the same time, in their pure hearts, homeland, nation, family and citizen He should try to arouse love and interest in the truth, good and beautiful things with his love
. In my opinion, these are important points that will always be emphasized in children’s education, from the mother’s lap to the highest education centers. Only in this way will our children become useful citizens of the country and perfect human beings.
(Hasan Rıza Soyak, Atatürk and Atatürk’s Characteristics in Photographs, 1965, p. 79)

On the evening of July 24, 1922, at the banquet they gave in honor of General Townshend in Konya , towards the end of the meal, they handed the coral rosary to the General and said:
– There is a custom among us Turks. We always give a gift to our guest. I am
a humble Commander-in-Chief of a noble nation. I can only give you this rosary.
And when he was about to leave the table, he took the watch off his wrist and said to the General:
– A Turkish soldier
brought me this watch in Anafartalar, saying that he took it from the arm of a dead British officer . The officer’s ID is written on the back of the clock . I searched for this officer’s family but could not find it. When you return to England , I would be very grateful if you could find his family and give me the watch.
1922 (Yucel Magazine, Memories from Him, Vol: XVI, Issue: 91-92-93, 1942 p. 15)

On the grounds that he was given a medal by the International Mark Twain Association on the grounds that he “opened the way and guided the Turkish nation to live joyfully “:
– This is the biggest compliment I have ever heard in my life.
They’re praising my human side !
1937 (BH from Atatürk, pp. 59-60)

Conversation with Iranian Shah Reza Pahlavi , when he saw that a sheep was lying on the ground towards the pit dug for the foundation and about to be cut in the throat during the groundbreaking ceremony of a regiment headquarters :
Atatürk -I can’t look at blood! I cannot bear to see even a chicken being slaughtered .
Şehinşah -What about the big and bloody battlefields you’ve been on so many times?…
Atatürk -Oh, that’s another matter; I walk in places like that, jumping over corpses . It is a different business.
(Hasan Rıza Soyak, Atatürk and Atatürk’s Characteristics in Photographs, 1965, p.43)

I have won many victories. But every evening, even after the biggest of them,
I feel deep sorrow thinking of all the soldiers who died on the battlefields.
(George Benneb, The Republic of Turkey Through the Eyes of a Foreigner, p. 33)

I do not feel any grudge against the enemy, even in battles; I only think about the application of military service rules.
(Izzettin Calislar, Tan newspaper 31. 8. 1937)

During a conversation he told the French Ambassador:
Excellency, I would like to see Paris very much; but not Paris, where I will be greeted with great ceremonies ! I would like to go to Paris, this beautiful city of the world, to see its operas, theaters, revues and elegant women again. As I said, to refresh my memories of my youth … As such, I would like to go without “introducing myself”; not to be greeted with ceremonies!
(Cevat Dursunoğlu, Son Havadis newspaper, 10. 11. 1955, p. 3)

I do not follow the principles made by others, but follow my own principles.
(Mim Kemal, Atatürk from the Words of His Relatives, Posted by Salahaddin Güngör, p. 105)

There is nothing in my eyes; I am only a lover of merit.
(Yusuf Ziya Özer, TTK Belleten, Issue: 10, 1939, p. 286)

I never condescend to the meanness of trying to satisfy my personal resentments with some negative initiatives.
1914 (Atatürk’s Private Letters, Sadi Borak, p. 40)

Our sincere friends are condemned to a torture by their loved ones, and this torture is to listen to the problems of their loved ones.
1922 (Atatürk’s SDII, p. 38)

He has said of his enemies:
I forgive them, because I have a heart; they don’t forgive me because they are
heartless.
(Falih Rıfkı Atay, Çankaya, 1969, p. 532)

His answer to the question of whether he was Mesut:
Yes, because I succeeded!
1935 (Date of the Month, No: 19, 1935, p. 262)

There is no law that I am an exception.
1922 (Atatürk’s SDI, p. 273)

If I die, I am sure that our noble nation will never leave the path we walked together ; I’m comfortable with it!
1926 (Atatürk’s SDV, p. 44)

Let my people bury me wherever they want; However, Çankaya will be the place where my memories will live.
(Afetinan, About Atatürk HB, p.

Source: Utkan Kocatürk, ATATÜRK’S IDEAS AND THOUGHTS