Daily quote by Portugal

• Unlike the fleeting visits paid by Cheng Ho, the actions of the Portuguese and Spanish explorers symbolized a commitment to alter the world's economic and political balances. With their shipborne cannon and musket-bearing soldier, they did precisely that. In retrospect it sometimes seems difficult to grasp that a country with the limited population and resources of Portugal could reach so far and acquire so much. In the special circumstances of European military and naval superiority described above, this was by no means impossible. Once it was done, the evident profits of empire, and the desire for more, simply accelerated the process of aggrandizement.
  • Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (1987), p. 27
• The example of family unity, pursuit of education and respect for the elderly set by the Portuguese are profound lessons for all of us.
  • Barbara B. Kennelly, "Commemorating Day of Portugal", Congressional Record, Volume 143, Issue 69, (May 22, 1997), Page E1024, United States House of Representatives.