Statements I never forgot

Some statements I heard, I never forgot:

It’s better to commit suicide than to apply for a subsidy in Kerala.

~ Matappan, wage laborer

Once you have come over, Australia is not far away at all.

~ My relative in Queensland

My country is underpopulated.

~ Farmer in western Japan

We sit on terraces, drink one coffee and discuss politics.

~ Heard in Greece, 1964

America is the best country to live in.

~ A personal friend in the US, 1985

In my country make sure you stay away from the hotheads.

~ Syrian refugee

Life is like walking in the mountains: always up and down.

(La vita e come camminare nella montagna: sempre su and giù.)

~ Innkeeper in Italian Alps

My burka is my protection.

~ Muslim woman in the first class Bombay-Delhi train

Never walk alone in Johannesburg, unless you are extremely street wise.

~ Local colleague

To protect your heart, you’d better not see Lima behind the hills

~ Peruvian Consultant

You come for the environment, but economy ranks first.

~ Delegate of the Chinese governmental environmental office

We can prepare you mentally for floods but cannot prevent those floods.

~ UK Environment Agency

You can cut me in pieces and put me in your suitcase, but get me out of this prison.

~ Unemployed academician in Rajasthan

If adapting to effects of climate change raises enough foreign funds, we will surely adapt.

~ Vietnamese professor