Garegin Nzhdeh, a Nationalist Who Loved the Whole World

It is very difficult to write anything about such a person as Garegin Ter-Harutyunyan (Գարեգին Տէր-Յարութիւնեան) or, as he is more commonly known, Garegin Nzhdeh (Գարեգին Նժդեհ). An exceptional individual like Garegin Nzhdeh should be listened to, and one should try to feel his every single word.

Garegin Ter-Harutyunyan was born on January 1, 1886. He was an Armenian statesman and military strategist, a member of Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He was involved in the national liberation struggle and revolutionary activities during the First Balkan War and World War I.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to find material about Garegin Nzdeh as there isn’t much about him and his struggles to present independence to Armenia and save his nation from USSR. And, maybe, that is one of the reasons why he is not studied in educational institutions in Armenia.

However, all that has ever been said by Garegin Nzhdeh is worthy of maximum attention, study, repetition, and memorization.

Below, we are going to present you with a couple of quotes regarding intensively disputed issues, especially recently, when the mouths of demagogues don’t close and their statements don’t become logical or truthful. But meanwhile, everything is so simple:

“Only a true nationalist is able to love the whole world. This is the Armenian nationalism. An Armenian nationalist does not exalt his nation and does not belittle others. He or she focuses only on his people and homeland, works and creates for the sake of and for the benefit of the nation, but the love of the nation should not lead to hatred towards the rest of humanity.”

“A culture without nation cannot be called culture as well as a nation cannot exist without culture.”

“The death of the language speeds up the death of the nation.”

“The homeland should be loved regardless of the political regime and our political convictions.”

“The fate of nations can be found in a mother’s palm.”

Each of these and many other utterances of Garegin Nzhdeh can be a slogan of any faculty of the university.

Read also: When the Turks and Bolsheviks Conspired Against Armenia – Garegin Nzhdeh