His address to the Turkish Youth

You, the Turkish youth!

Your primary duty is to forever protect and defend the Turkish independence and the Republic of Turkey.

This is the mainstay of your existence and your future. This foundation is your most precious treasure. In the future, as well, there will be malevolents, within and abroad, who will seek to deny your birthright. If, one day, you are compelled to defend your independence and the Republic, you shall not reflect on the conditions and possibilities of the situation in which you find yourself, in order to accomplish your mission.

These conditions and possibilities may appear unfavorable. The adversaries, who scheme against your independence and your Republic, may be the representatives of a victory without precedent in the World. By force or by ruse, all citadels and arsenals of our dear fatherland may have been taken, all of its armies may have been dispersed, and all corners of the country may have been physically occupied. More distressing and more grievous than all these, those who hold and exercise the power within the country may have fallen into gross error, blunder, and even treason.

These holders of power may have even united their personal interests with political ambitions of the invaders. The nation itself may have fallen into privation, and may have become exhausted and desolate.

You, the future sons and daughters of Turkey! Even under such circumstances and conditions, your duty is to redeem the Turkish independence and the Republic! The strength you shall need exists in the noble blood flowing through your veins.

M. Kemal Atatürk, October 20, 1927