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Dag Hammarskjöld
Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961) was the UN Secretary-General 1953–1961.
After finishing his doctoral studies, Hammarskjöld began a successful career in Sweden. He was Governor of the Riksbank (the central bank of Sweden), State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, minister without portfolio and a member of the Swedish Academy.
As Secretary-General of the United Nations, Hammarskjöld played a very active diplomatic role in the conflicts that went on. His quiet diplomacy proved to be very effective and won great respect.
Dag Hammarskjöld died in unclear circumstances in a plane crash in 1961. He was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Read more about Dag Hammarskjöld in the biography
Quotes by Dag Hammarskjöld
”A mature man is his own judge. In the end, his only form of support is being faithful to his own convictions. The advice of others may be welcome and valuable, but it does not free him from responsibility. Therefore, he may become very lonely.”
”The concept of loyalty is distorted when it is understood to mean blind acceptance. It is correctly interpreted when it is assumed to cover honest criticism.”
”We should, rather, recognize the United Nations for what it is – an admittedly imperfect but indispensable instrument of nations working for a peace evolution towards a more just and secure world order.”