ATATÜRK’S UNDERSTANDING OF EQUALITY
Journalist and researcher Sait Arif Terzioğlu recounts:
One day, when Atatürk grew weary of protocol and formality, he
put on his heavy coat and left Dolmabahçe Palace alone, without
informing anyone. He mingled with the public, boarded a tram to
Sultanahmet, and then went on to the Topkapı Palace Museum,
wishing to visit.
He introduced himself to the doorman, but the doorman replied:
-It’s not yet nine o’clock, the staff haven’t arrived. Whether
you are Atatürk or anyone else, you’ll have to wait.
Clearly, the doorman did not recognize Atatürk, and having often
repeated this rule, he could not believe the visitor was truly
Atatürk. The important point in this incident, however, is that
Atatürk did not insist or object to the doorman’s firm response.
Instead, he quietly stepped aside and waited until nine o’clock,
when the staff arrived.