I cannot necessarily verify the quotes for all of these people, but I have found them on the web and aggregated them here. If you can find sources they would be appreciated. =)
A YouTube Video Famous people on Esperanto
- Adolf Hitler (Mein Kampf):
As long as the Jew has not become the master of the other peoples, he must speak their languages whether he likes it or not, but as soon as they became his slaves, they would all have to learn a universal language (Esperanto, for instance!), so that by this additional means the Jews could more easily dominate them!
- Albert Einstein, physicist and German mathematician:
In Kassel, in 1923, is chaired by honor of Albert Einstein IIIe congress of the Worldwide association Anationale (SAT), organization in sociocultural matter and vocation émancipatrice founded with Prague in 1921 and whose working language is Esperanto. Forty-two scientists of the Academy of Science express the same year a wish in favor of its teaching as “a chief of work of logic and simplicityâ€. History of Esperanto
- American Esperantists (on Wikipedia)
- Bialystok, Poland – Bialystok, Poland which is near the Polish and Belarussian border, and home of L.L. Zamenhoff, still has a strong Esperanto presence. Books stores still carry books in Esperanto and there are even train tables in Esperanto too. In 2009 it was the home of the World Esperanto Congress. (Travel Pod.com Blog)
- Chuck Smith
Would you like to learn the “secret” underground language of the world? There are actually hundreds of thousands of people who speak a language, you have probably never heard. This is the language your mother didn’t tell you about! Esperanto is an easy to learn, totally regular, international language, so we can better understand everyone and their mom.
- Cristovam Buarque, a President of Brazil and a leading figure in brazilian education, proposed a law to make Esperanto one of the school subjects in brazilian public schools. (2009)
( Esperanto approved by Brazilian government as optional high school subject, mandatory if justified by demand; Page F30, Sep 2009) - Fidel Castro:
I consider myself a soldier of Esperanto. It is not important that you have small numbers, your idea will succeed. It will succeed because it is just. Each nation has its language, humanity should have its own, Esperanto.
Fidel Castro Speaking at the World Congress in Havana (edited YouTube video)
- Esperanto Republic of the Island of Roses (Esperanta Respubliko de la Insulo de la Rozoj): It is an independent micronation founded in 1968 on an abandoned oil rig off the Italian coast in international waters by an Italian Engineer later dismantled by the Italian government. (When Italy went to war with the esperanto micro-nation Insulo de la Rozoj, Republic of the Island of Roses movie)
- French Academy of Sciences (40 members in 1924)
- Gandhi, politician and Indian philosopher:
I am for the same calendar for the whole world, as I am for the same currency for all the people and a world auxiliary language like the Esperanto for all the people.
- Humphrey Tonkin
Ultimately Zamenhof’s language [Esperanto] was and is more than a proposed solution to the language problem: it is an attempt to confront the spirit of inequality, of intolerance, of hatred that is tearing apart our beautiful world.
- Hutt River Province (a micronation in Australia)The Hutt River Province has stated in article 8 of their constitution that Esperanto is their 3rd official language after and English and French respectively.
- International Academy of Science (AIS’ website) in San Marino (Italy) has all paper and lectures in Esperanto (A University Mainly in Esperanto (PDF) )
- International Railroad Esperanto Federation [Internacia Fervojista Esperanto-Federacio] (IFEF) founded in 1948 and has spread throughout Eurasia.
- Jules Verne:
The key for a common language, lost in the Tower of Babel, can only be found in the use of Esperanto.
- J.R.R. Tolkein:Â (A PHILOLOGIST ON ESPERANTO)
My advice to all who have the time or inclination to concern themselves with the international language movement would be: “Back Esperanto loyally.”
- L. L. Zamenhof (1905)
In our meeting there are no strong or weak nations, privileged or unfavoured ones, nobody is humiliated, nobody is harassed; we all support one another upon a neutral foundation, we all have the same rights, we all feel ourselves the members of the same nation, like the members of the same family, and for the first time in the history of human race, we -the members of different peoples- are one beside the other not as strangers, not like competitors, but like brothers who do not enforce their language, but who understand one another, trustfully, conceitedly, and we shake our hands with no hypocrisy like strangers, but sincerely, like people. Let’s be fully aware of all the importance of this day, because today among the generous walls of Bologne-sur-Mer have met not French wtih British, nor Russians with Polish, but people with people.
- L. L. Zamenhof (1906)
We are not so naive as some think of us; we do not believe that a neutral base will turn men into angels, but we do know that evil people will always be evil; but we believe that communication and knowledge based upon a natural tool will prevent at least the great quantity of brutality and crimes which happen not because of ill will, but simply because of lack of knowledge and oppression.
- Leon Tolstoï:
I found the volapük very complicated and, on the contrary, very simple Esperanto. It is so easy that having received, six years ago, a grammar, a dictionary and articles of this idiom, I could arrive, at the end of two early hours, if not to write it, at least with usually reading the language. () the sacrifices which any man of our European world will make, by devoting some time to his study are so small, and the results which can result from this so immense, that one cannot refuse to carry out this test. (1894)
Six years ago I received an Esperanto grammar, vocabulary, and articles written in the language. After not more than two hours’ study I was able, if not to write the language, at any rate to read it freely…. I have often noted how men are brought into unfriendly relations merely through material hindrance to mutual comprehension. The learning and spreading of Esperanto is therefore undoubtedly a Christian movement, helping to create the Kingdom of God, which is the chief and only aim of human life.
- Ludmilla Nowvak, a Slovenia representative to the European Union has tabled three amendments promoting Esperanto as a possible common language of communication in the European Union. (December 1998)
- Manuel M Campagna
Esperanto is very popular in Hungary, Estonia, Finland, Japan, China, Vietnam… The current [1995-1998] president of the Universal Esperanto Association is a Korean university professor of Economics. The most attended international meeting in 5000 years of Chinese history was the 1986 Universal Congress of Esperanto in Beijing, being the largest both by the number of delegates and the number of countries represented.
- Martin Bormann, the chief of staff of Hitler’s deputy:
Because the creation of an international hybrid language contradicts the basic concepts of National Socialism and ultimately can only serve the interests of supranational powers, the F�hrer’s deputy forbids all party members and members of organisations affiliated to the party to belong to all forms of artificial language associations.
- Neutral Moresnet (Amkikoj @Strange Maps) which was a tiny Belgian-Prussian condominium that existed from 1816 to 1920 between present-day Belgium and Germany, declared itself an Esperanto speaking country in 1908. A Dr. Molly proposed making Neutral Moresnet the Esperanto-speaking state, named Amikejo (“place of friendship”). with its national anthem being the Esperanto march of the same name. A number of residents learned Esperanto and a rally was held in Kelmis in support of the idea of Amikejo on 13 August 1908. The World Congress of Esperanto, meeting in Dresden, even declared Neutral Moresnet the world capital of the Esperanto community. Esperanto still plays a prominent role in the society of Kelmis.
- Nobel Laureates and other Famous Esperantists
- Esperanto was nominated for a Nobel Prize in 2008.
- Robert Kennedy, American politician, brother of John F. Kennedy:
It is very probable that a neutral language would be more useful like means of communication between the various nations of the world. The Esperanto is already for a long time one of the principal candidates for this function.
- Stalin:
[Esperanto is] the language of spies.
- Satir
A lot of people have this impression of [Esperanto] speakers as crazy, naive idealists. We’re people with a desire to learn other cultures.
- Sylvan Zaft
One Chinese Esperanto speaker described Esperanto as a linguistic handshake. When two people shake hands they both reach out halfway. When two people speak Esperanto they have both made the effort to learn a relatively easy, neutral language instead of one person making the huge effort to learn the other person’s difficult national language and the other person making no effort at all except to correct his/her interlocutor’s errors.
Esperanto is an artificial language like the automobile is an artificial horse.
- United Nations:Â In October 1966, the UEA presented the Secretary General of the United Nations with a proposal recommending that the UN solve the language problem by supporting use of the International Language, Esperanto. The petition was signed by almost a million individuals and by 3,843 organizations representing 71 million more people from all over the world. Today, an Esperanto office operates across the street from the UN, staffed by a professional linguist and several volunteers.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said that the language conforms to their ideals; see also UNESCO Presentation – Esperanto, A Fair Language, December 2008
- US Military Handbook FM 30-101-1: ESPERANTO THE AGRESSOR LANGUAGE (1961): The US Army used Esperanto as the foreign language of the fictional aggressor in combat practice in 1961 or 1962 and produced a field manual for Esperanto so that those who were the Aggressors would really be speaking a foreign language. We can consider this is neat oddity since the Esperanto contained is military centric and seems to be not very well done.
- Vatican via Jean-Paul II, pope:Â It pronounced its blessing Urbi and Orbi in 51 languages, whose Esperanto starting from 1994.
The Holy Father sincerely greets the organisers and participants of the 78th Esperanto Congress and encourages them to continue their most honourable efforts for a world in which understanding and unity reign. At the same time the Holy Father asks you to make this meeting of people from different countries, cultures and denominations, who speak the same language, a witness of that brotherhood which should reign without any form of discrimination among all human beings as members of the great family of the children of God, and which encourages personal and collective compromise in order to build peace in their respective homelands. With these sentiments and asking for God’s protection on the work of the congress and its participants, the Pope gives the desired apostolic blessing.
- World Service Authority (WSA) aka World Government of World Citizens (WGWC) has their World Passport info in Esperanto
SpeedyLook Wapedia Encyclopedia VBXML Interesting Quotes about Esperanto Wikipedia entry for Esperanto