92-year-old Shimon Peres, the ninth President of Israel, said one of the most motivating

speeches of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) which was held in Kiev. He talked about
laziness, courage and hope.

We dreamed of our own land, but the land we got, was not a dream. It was a little slip, one
thousandth part of the Middle East. This land is not very well we were treated. There were
swamps, mosquitoes, desert in the South, the rocks. We had to choose between mosquitoes
and stones. It was two lakes - one dead, the second was extinct. Was the famous river - but in
it there was no water. That is, there was no water at all. No natural resources were there -
neither gold nor oil. Then I was told that in the Middle East there are two types of countries
- country oil and country Holy. Ours was absolutely Holy, because nothing was.

We were lonely. We didn't have a brother in religion, the sisters of the language, a neighbor
in history. All this happened after the Holocaust. We got there and didn't know at all what
to do. Really didn't know.

Ex-Israeli President Shimon Peres and French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy

People ask me: how to stay active? It is very simple. Consider in your mind of your
accomplishments and dreams. If your dreams are larger than gains - so you are still young…

And we thought: the greatest wealth of nature is a person. People have enriched the earth,
not the earth people.

We all become scientists. Every farmer in Israel, every community began to look as to
develop agriculture without water, without land. We started to develop it. It was the first
agriculture in the world based on hi-tech. I myself was a student at the agricultural
University, we tried to carry out irrigation - watered the trees with hot water, I thought that
they would grow better.

Surprisingly, it was found that agriculture, which is based not only on earth but also on high-
tech, works. Today we have enough water. Water is usually found - it is not extracted. And
we began to produce it. And we have succeeded. We started to desalinate water, we searched
the vegetables not too much "drink", were breeding. Here's the real secret: for the future it is
not what you find, but what you produce.

We had no people, no weapons, we never fought, we had only 450 thousand people, no
generals, no military experience. The UN decided to create the state of Israel, but in fact
there was a war. What could we do? Two things.

First, the people had to become courageous and brave. They had to understand that we have
no choice - we just have to win. If we once lose all.

Secondly, since we had no weapons, we started to produce it. To improve the army, we had
to develop IT. Israeli IT sector worked for the army. Because we were alone in a hostile
environment.

Why am I telling you this? Still I say to the young guys or girls: friends, you have a lot more
than you think. Don't be lazy. You have a lot more than earth can offer. You can produce
things that are not given to you. This is a lesson for all.

Ukraine is one of the world's most important countries in the field of agriculture. You really
put a lot and you don't need from agriculture to refuse - you can and should upgrade, to
combine the resources and talents of the people.
The potential of all people is very large. But they are all a little lazy. If you want to achieve
something, you need to work. Nothing falls from the sky. In Israel we have worked very
hard. What's wrong with that? I don't know... People go on vacation - it is a waste of time. I
have a 90, and I've never been on vacation. I say, "Are You crazy? How do you relax?" I
prefer to work. A work gives me joy. And don't be pessimistic - it is also a waste of time,
especially when times are changing.

You need to follow the science. Science has no boundaries, limitations, science has no
reflection. Do not try to solve the problems of the past, I don't know if this is even possible.
Past generally plays no role. Just study it so you do not repeat old mistakes. In the past there
is no future or hope.

Most people prefer to remember and not to submit - this is the biggest mistake. What you
want to remember? All the mistakes that were committed? History cannot be relied upon.
Historians were heralds of kings and those who were in power - they said what you need.

People are afraid of something... God only knows what will become of us.

People ask me sometimes: if you look back, what were your biggest mistakes? I answer: we
thought that we had great dreams. And now we understand that they weren't so great.
Dream big. The bigger your dream, the more you will achieve.

Your young generation is great. But what makes me angry at them - they despise/hate
politicians. They say: politics is corrupt, it is not for us. I answer: you are honest, you want a
fair policy, go ahead and do an honest policy.

Still people ask me how to stay active. It is very simple. Consider in your mind of your
accomplishments and dreams. If your dreams are larger than gains - so you are still young. If
on the contrary - you are old.

This is all the lessons that I learned from the past.

Source: http://censor.net.ua/