An account for his pragmatism was given in one of his official speeches in Slovakia after the 1968 events, during which he ventured a rhetorical question, asking where his opponents (supporters of opposition against the Soviet Union) want to find those "friends" of Czechoslovakia (countries in Europe) that would come to support the country (against Soviet troops).
Account untuk pragmatisme-nya diberikan dalam salah satu pidatonya resminya di Slowakia setelah peristiwa 1968, di mana ia memberanikan diri pertanyaan retoris, bertanya di mana lawan-lawannya (pendukung oposisi melawan Uni Soviet) ingin mencari orang-orang "teman" Cekoslowakia (negara di Eropa) yang akan datang untuk mendukung negara (melawan pasukan Soviet).