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I Think By Now I Have Made It Fairly Clear That I Am Not Very Happy With The Word Hope. I Don't Believe In People Just Hoping. We Work For What We Want. I Always Say That One Has No Right To Hope Without Endeavor, So We Work To Try And Bring About The Situation That Is Necessary For The Country, And We Are Confident That We Will Get To The Negotiation Table At One Time Or Another. This Is The Way All Such Situations Pan Out Even With The Most Truculent Dictator.

-Aung San Suu Kyi

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I Think By Now

Aung San Suu Kyi

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I Think By Now I Have Made It Fairly Clear That I Am Not Very Happy With The Word Hope. I Don't Believe In People Just Hoping. We Work For What We Want. I Always Say That One Has No Right To Hope Without Endeavor, So We Work To Try And Bring About The Situation That Is Necessary For The Country, And We Are Confident That We Will Get To The Negotiation Table At One Time Or Another. This Is The Way All Such Situations Pan Out Even With The Most Truculent Dictator.

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We Must All Work Together If We Are All To Live Together In Unity And Harmony.

Working Together

So, I Think That For The Authorities To Say Now That Calling For Sanctions Will Prevent Dialogue Is A Ploy To Stop Us From Supporting Sanctions. It Has To Be The Other Way Around: Dialogue First, Then We Stop Our Call For Sanctions, Because Sanctions Make People Understand That You Cannot Exercise Repression And At The Same Time Expect International Support.

We Have Been Making Constant Efforts, All The Time, To Start Dialogue With The Slorc, But You Know It Takes Two. We Don't Want A Monologue. We Would Like A Substantive Political Dialogue Among The Slorc, Political Leaders Including Myself, And Leaders Of Ethnic Groups-exactly As Stipulated In The U.n. General Assembly Resolution On Burma.

If You Want To Bring An End To Long-standing Conflict, You Have To Be Prepared To Compromise. If Either Or Both Sides Insist On Getting Everything That They Want - That Is To Say 100 Percent Of Their Demands To Be Met, Then There Can Never Be A Settlement.

Absolute Peace In Our World Is An Unattainable Goal. But It Is One Towards Which We Must Continue To Journey, Our Eyes Fixed On It As A Traveller In A Desert Fixes His Eyes On The One Guiding Star That Will Lead Him To Salvation.

I'm Feeling A Little Delicate.

In Burma, Under The Present Constitution, The Army Can Always Take Over All Parts Of Government If They Think This Is Necessary. So Until The Army Comes Out Clearly And Consistently In Support Of The Democratic Process We Cannot Say That It's Irreversible. But I Don't Think We Need Fear A Reversal Too Much Either.

Burmese Authors And Artists Can Play The Role That Artists Everywhere Play. They Help To Mold The Outlook Of A Society - Not The Whole Outlook And They Are Not The Only Ones To Mold The Outlook Of Society, But They Have An Important Role To Play There. And I Think If They Take Up This Role Seriously And Link It To The Kind Of Changes Were Wish To Bring About In Our Country They Could Be A Tremendous Help.

Sometimes I Think That A Parody Of Democracy Could Be More Dangerous Than A Blatant Dictatorship, Because That Gives People An Opportunity To Avoid Doing Anything About It.

Freedom And Democracy Are Dreams You Never Give Up.

I Do Not Hold To Non-violence For Moral Reasons, But For Political And Practical Reasons.

Kindness Can Change The Lives Of People.

Unless There Is Free And Fair Competition, There Can't Be Healthy Economic Development. And What We Have In Burma Now Is Not An Open-market Economy That Allows Free And Fair Competition, But A Form Of Colonialism Makes A Few People Very, Very Wealthy. It's What You Would Crony Capitalism.

India And Burma Have Been Close Friends Since The Days We Were Struggling For Independence. And I'm A Great Admirer Of Mahatma Gandhi And Jawaharlal Nehru, And All Those Leaders Of India's Independence Movement. I Would Like To Believe The Aspirations And Hopes We Shared In The Past Will Continue To Bind Us In The Future.

The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Recognizes That 'if Man Is Not To Be Compelled To Have Recourse, As A Last Resort, To Rebellion Against Tyranny And Oppression', Human Rights Should Be Protected By The Rule Of Law. That Just Laws Which Uphold Human Rights Are The Necessary Foundation Of Peace And Security Would Be Denied Only By Closed Minds Which Interpret Peace As The Silence Of All Opposition And Security As The Assurance Of Their Own Power.

Sometimes I Didn't Even Have Enough Money To Eat. I Became So Weak From Malnourishment That My Hair Fell Out, And I Couldn't Get Out Of Bed.

The Judiciary Must Be Strengthened And Released From Political Interference.

People Ask Me About What Sacrifices I've Made. I Always Answer: I've Made No Sacrifices, I've Made Choices.

Fearlessness May Be A Gift, But Perhaps Most Precious Is Courage From Cultivating The Habit Of Refusing To Let Fear Dictate One's Actions.

I Think, If You Have Enough Inner Resources, Then You Can Live In Isolation For Long Periods Of Time And Not Feel Diminished By It.

The [burmese] Government Appears To Be More Interested In Stamping Out Political Activity Than Drug Addiction. Very Few University Students On The Campus Could Get Away With Engaging In Political Activities, But They Seem To Be Able To Get Away With Taking Drugs. We Have Heard That It Is Very Easy To Obtain Drugs On The University Campuses.

University Students

I Was Heartened That People Everywhere Want Certain Basic Freedoms, Even If They Live In A Totally Different Cultural Environment.

Of Course I Regret Not Having Been Able To Spend Time With My Family.

I Was Speaking To A Writer The Other Day And He Gave Me A Valuable Piece Of Advice. He Said That You May Get To Where You Want To Go Quicker Through Violence, But The Healing Process Takes Longer. Whereas If You Don't Use Violence, There Is Not Much Healing Necessary, So You Win In The Long Run.

Young People Drift Away From Society Because, In Many Cases, They Have No Hope Or Goals. So, Hope Will Have To Be Given To The Young.

Burmese Political Culture Lacks An Understanding Of Negotiated Compromise. We Have To Build Up That Kind Of Culture.

If The Restrictions On The Work Of My Party And On Me Personally Are Not Removed In The Very, Very Near Future - That Is In A Matter Of Days - I Think The United States Should Start Thinking Seriously Of Sanctions. This Is Really About As Bad As It Has Ever Been.

That's Not How Politics Works - Sometimes Things Move In A Rather Imperceptible Way. There Are No Fireworks, And Then Comes A Time When Change Comes Unexpectedly. Sometimes Change Comes With A Lot Of Fireworks, But Not Always.

A More Significant Phase Should Mean Serious Political Dialogue.

Maybe It Is Something To Do With Age, But I Have Become Fonder Of Poetry Than Of Prose.

There Are Those Who Argue That The Concept Of Human Rights Is Not Applicable To All Cultures. We In The National League For Democracy Believe That Human Rights Are Of Universal Relevance. But Even Those Who Do Not Believe In Human Rights Must Certainly Agree That The Rule Of Law Is Most Important. Without The Rule Of Law There Can Be No Peace.

What Does Burma Have To Give The United States? We Can Give You The Opportunity To Engage With People Who Are Ready And Willing To Change A Society.

The Root Of A Nation's Misfortunes Has To Be Sought In The Moral Failings Of The Government.

We Want To Empower Our People; We Want To Strengthen Them; We Want To Provide Them With The Kind Of Qualifications That Will Enable Them To Build Up Their Own Country Themselves.

My Top Priority Is For People To Understand That They Have The Power To Change Things Themselves.

Every Government Must Consider The Security Of The Country. That Is Just Part Of The Responsibilities Of Any Government. But True Security Can Only Come Out Of Unity Within A Country Where There Are So Many Ethnic Nationalities.

War Is Not The Only Arena Where Peace Is Done To Death.

Each Man Has In Him The Potential To Realize The Truth Through His Own Will And Endeavour And To Help Others To Realize It.

Early Childhood Development Has Proved To Be Very Beneficial And Very Cost-effective In Societies Where This Is Been Tried. So Let's Not Confine Ourselves To Primary Education. Let's Think Of Early Childhood Development And Education As A Whole.

We Cannot Be Caught In The Bond Of Suspicion. We Have To Carry Out What We Should Be Doing With A Firm Determination.

It Is Incorrect To Say There Have Been No Reforms At All In Burma; There Have Of Course Been Reforms, But We Still Need To Do More For The People. To Become A Democratic Society We Have To Continually Be Reforming.

Some Of The Most Relaxing Weekends I Have Ever Enjoyed Were Those I Spent Quietly With A Sense Of All Work To Date Completed, And An Absorbing Mystery.

When I Was In London A Kachin Youth Criticized Me For Not Condemning The Burmese Military For Their Offensive In Kachin State. I Answered "condemnation Is Not The Solution." We Want To Build Reconciliation, Not Condemnation.

As We Strive To Teach Others We Must Have The Humility To Acknowledge That We Too Still Have Much To Learn.

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It Is Not Easy For A People Conditioned By Fear Under The Iron Rule Of The Principle That Might Is Right To Free Themselves From The Enervating Miasma Of Fear. Yet Even Under The Most Crushing State Machinery Courage Rises Up Again And Again, For Fear Is Not The Natural State Of Civilized Man.

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What We Are Lacking In Burma Is An Independence Effective Judiciary, And Unless We Have All Three Of The Democratic Institutions - Strong And Healthy, We Cannot Say That Our Democratic Processes (is Complete).

If I Advocate Cautious Optimism It Is Not Because I Do Not Have Faith In The Future But Because I Do Not Want To Encourage Blind Faith.

I Have Been Arrested Time And Time Again, And My Colleagues, Too. I Cannot Guarantee That I'll Not Be Arrested Again. But It's Not Something That Weighs On My Mind. I'll Do What I Can While I'm Free. If They Arrest Me Again, I'll Do What I Can While I'm Under Arrest.

Guarantees That

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Fear Is A Habit; I Am Not Afraid.

I Think One Must Take Responsibility For One's Actions And One's Decisions. But One Should Never Take -- One Should Never Assume That Everything That Happens For The Good Is Achieved By One's Self Alone.

The Basis Of Democratic Freedom Is Freedom Of Speech.

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I've Always Thought That The Best Solution For Those Who Feel Helpless Is For Them To Help Others.

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Regimented Minds Cannot Grasp The Concept Of Confrontation As An Open Exchange Of Major Differences With A View To Settlement Through Genuine Dialogue.

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When You Feel Helpless, Help Someone.

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Taking Sides Cannot Bring Peace And Balance.

I Was A Prisoner, But I Always Felt Free Because I Was Not Frightened So For Me Real Freedom Is Freedom From Fear.

As Long As There Is No Law In Burma, Any Individual Here Can Be Arrested At Any Time.

You Should Never Let Your Fears Prevent You From Doing What You Know Is Right.

I Think More Women Should Be Involved In Politics For The Good Of The Human Race.

The Provision Of Basic Material Needs Is Not Sufficient To Make Minority Groups And Indigenous Peoples Feel They Are Truly Part Of The Greater National Entity. For That They Have To Be Confident That They Too Have An Active Role To Play In Shaping The Destiny Of The State That Demands Their Allegiance.

I Don't Understand Why People Say That I Am Full Of Courage. I Feel Terribly Nervous.

I've Always Been Strongly On The Side Of Non-violence. Also, I Think That If You Use The Wrong Means, The Ends Themselves Get Distorted.

Human Beings The World Over Need Freedom And Security That They May Be Able To Realize Their Full Potential.

More People, Especially Young People, Are Realising That If They Want Change, They've Got To Go About It Themselves – They Can't Depend On A Particular Person, Ie Me, To Do All The Work. They Are Less Easy To Fool Than They Used To Be, They Now Know What's Going On All Over The World.

I Look Upon Myself As A Politician. That Isn't A Dirty Word.

I Think Corporations Should Give More Attention To This Suffering And Should Wait To Invest Until There Is A Responsible Government In Burma. I Do Not Think It Is A Good Idea To Separate Economics From Politics; In Fact, I Do Not Think Economics Can Be Separated From Politics It's Quite Understandable That Many Business Concerns Think Only About Their Own Profits It's Up To The Public To Put As Much Pressure As It Can On These Companies, Through Shareholder Resolutions And Public Actions.

Responsible Government

The Value Systems Of Those With Access To Power And Of Those Far Removed From Such Access Cannot Be The Same. The Viewpoint Of The Privileged Is Unlike That Of The Underprivileged.

Underprivileged

I Worry That Even Those Who Want To Reform Are Not Quite Sure How To Go About It. There Is So Much To Be Done.

We Have To Choose Between Dialogue And Utter Devastation.

When We Think Of The State Of The Economy, We Are Not Thinking In Terms Of Money Flow. We Are Thinking In Terms Of The Effect On Everyday Lives Of People.

It Is His Capacity For Self-improvement And Self-redemption Which Most Distinguishes Man From The Mere Brute.

The Nobel Peace Prize Opened Up A Door In My Heart.

Nobel Peace Prize

I've Always Said There's No Hope Without Endeavor. Hope Has No Meaning Unless We Are Prepared To Work To Realize Our Hopes And Dreams But In Order To That We Do Need To Have Friends. We Need Those Who Believe In Us. Friends Are Those Who Believe In Us And Who Want To Help Us Whatever It Is That We Are Trying To Achieve.

It Is Not Power That Corrupts But Fear.

We Must Make Democracy The Popular Creed...if We Should Fail To Do This, Our People Are Bound To Suffer... That Is What My Father Said. It Is The Reason Why I Am Participating In This Struggle.

Part Of Our Struggle Is To Make The International Community Understand That We Are A Poor Country Not Because There Is An Insufficiency Of Resources And Investment, But Because We Are Deprived Of The Basic Institutions And Practices That Make For Good Government.

Human Rights Must Be Protected By The Rule Of Law, And There Can Never Be Occasions Where Human Rights Can Be Neglected Or Ignored Or The Rule Of Law Set Aside.

The Good Ruler Sublimates His Needs As An Individual To The Service Of The Nation.

It's Good To Know That The People Of Different Countries Are Really Concerned And Involved In The Movement To Help Burma. I Think In Some Ways It's Better To Have The People Of The World On Your Side Than The Governments Of The World, Even If Governments Can Be More Effective In Certain Directions.

Democracy, Like Liberty, Justice And Other Social And Political Rights, Is Not "given", It Is Earned Through Courage, Resolution And Sacrifice.

Democracy Acknowledges The Right To Differ As Well As The Duty To Settle Differences Peacefully. Authoritarian Governments See Criticism Of Their Actions And Doctrines As A Challenge To Combat.

There Should Be No Political Prisoners In A Democratic Country.

Challenges Mean Opportunities As Well.

There's A Certain Age When Your Height Stops Growing And You Cannot Change That. This Sort Of Body Growth Cannot Be Fixed. But There Are Many Things That Can Be Changed. You Might Have A Small Body Structure But There Are Opportunities To Make Yourself Very Fit And Healthy. So We'll Have To Work Hard In Many Aspects.

I've Never Thought Of Myself As Being Particularly Brave - I Used To Be Frightened Of The Dark When I Was Small. And I'm Not Very Good With Dead Rats And Things Like That. But I Face What Has To Be Faced And I Hope As Best As I'm Able.

In Burma, We Need To Find Out What We Have To Do In Order To Keep The Democratization Process On Track. Economic Reforms Have To Be Taken One By One. You See It's Not Just Speed That's Important, It's Sequencing As Well. You've Got To Get The Speed Right; You Have To Get The Sequencing Right.

It Is Part Of The Unceasing Human Endeavor To Prove That The Spirit Of Man Can Transcend The Flaws Of His Own Nature.

I Was Surprised By The Response Of Young People Because There Is A Perception That Those Younger Than The 1988 Generation Are Not Interested In Politics.

I Don't Think You Can Work On Feelings In Politics, Apart From Anything Else, Political Change Can Come Very Unexpectedly, Sometimes Overnight When You Least Expect It.

[t]here Is A Vast Difference In The Attitude Of A Man With A Gun In His Hand And That Of One Without A Gun In His Hand. When A Man Does Not Have A Gun In His Hand, Or A Woman For The Matter, He Or She Tries Harder To Use His Or Her Mind, Sense Of Compassion, And Intelligence To Work Out A Solution.

I Don't Seem To Have Time To Breathe. Everything's Happening So Quickly, And So Much Is Happening All The Time.

There Can Be No Civil Peace Without The Rule Of Law.

The History Of The World Shows That Peoples And Societies Do Not Have To Pass Through A Fixed Series Of Stages In The Course Of Development.

The Last Six Years Afforded Me Much Time And Food For Thought. I Came To The Conclusion That The Human Race Is Not Divided Into Two Opposing Camps Of Good And Evil. It Is Made Up Of Those Who Are Capable Of Learning And Those Who Are Incapable Of Doing So.

Burma Is Not Yet A Full-fledged Democracy. We Have Started Working On The Road To Full Democracy. We Have A Lot Of Things To Do In Order To Build A Democratic Structure And To Be Become A Full-fledged Democracy.

When I Was Under House Arrest, It Was The Bbc That Spoke To Me - I Listened.

There Is A Special Charm To Journeys Undertaken Before Daybreak In Hot Lands: The Air Is Soft And Cool And The Coming Of Dawn Reveals A Landscape Fresh From The Night Dew.

There Is Nothing To Compare With The Courage Of Ordinary People Whose Names Are Unknown And Whose Sacrifices Pass Unnoticed. The Courage That Dares Without Recognition, Without The Protection Of Media Attention, Is A Courage That Humbles And Inspires And Reaffirms Our Faith In Humanity.

Because Of Rampant Inflation, Living Standards Have Been Dropping For The Great Majority Of The Population. The People Are Poorer Because Standards Of Health And Education Have Fallen. And Conditions In The Rural Areas Are Worse Off Than They Have Ever Been. So, You Cannot Equate The So-called Open-market Economy Adopted By The Slorc With Any Real Development That Benefits People.

In Burma, We Have Only About Four Percent Of The People In Our Country Who Are (college) Graduates. So Can We Not Value The Majority? No, We Must. If We Just Value The Graduates, Then Does That Mean Our People Are Not Valuable? I Don't Believe That. What Is Important Is We Need Right People In Right Positions.

A Lot Of The Roads, Bridges, Railways, And Such Are Built Through The Use Of Forced Labor, And That Is Causing The People Great Suffering. What We Put Into This In The Form Of Human Suffering Is Not Worth What Comes Out Of It.

The Search For Scapegoats Is Essentially An Abnegation Of Responsibility: It Indicates An Inability To Assess Honestly And Intelligently The True Nature Of The Problems Which Lie At The Root Of Social And Economic Difficulties And A Lack Of Resolve In Grappling With Them.

I Am Not Unaware Of The Saying That More Tears Have Been Shed Over Wishes Granted Than Wishes Denied.

I Was Given Some Harry Potter Books By A Young Friend. I Wanted To Know Why Young People Liked It So Much. And I Noted That There Were Some Values In Harry Potter That Are Common To Many Books That Are Popular All Over The World. In The End, I Think People Prefer The Good To Win, Rather Than The Bad.

I Don't Want Burma To Be A Basket Case Forever.

I Could Listen To The Radio And I Had Access To Books From Time To Time. Not All The Time.

I've Always Said That The Most Important Thing Is Job Creation. Jobs Will Earn People Money And Build Self-confidence.

Self Confidence

If You Want To Bring An End To Long-standing Conflict, You Have To Be Prepared To Compromise.

Religion Is About Increasing Peace And Harmony In The World. ... People Of All Different Religions Should Be Given The Opportunity To Pursue Good In Their Own Way.

All Military Regimes Use Security As The Reason Why They Should Remain In Power. It's Nothing Original.

People Must Have Freedom And At The Same Time They Must Have Security. They Must Not Be Using Freedom To Fight With Each Other. When They Have Security Of The Mind, Their Fears Will Subside, And Their Mistrust Of Others Will Also Decline. There Will Be No Need To Worry That Somebody Will Be Looking At You With Jealousy. They Won't Have To Worry That Someone Will Report Some Lies To Their Superiors And Get Them Into Trouble. This Fear Of Being Unjustly Punished Would Disappear And I Believe Confidence And Trust Will Mount And People Will Have More Love And Respect Towards One Another.

When The Nobel Committee Chose To Honor Me, The Road I Had Chosen Of My Own Free Will Became A Less Lonely Path To Follow.

The Important Thing Is Burma Needs To End The Civil War And For This To Happen Both Sides Must Want To End The War.

Fires Of Suffering And Strife Are Raging Around The World.

One Prisoner Of Conscience Is One Too Many.

Among The Basic Freedoms To Which Men Aspire That Their Lives Might Be Full And Uncramped, Freedom From Fear Stands Out As Both A Means And An End. A People Who Would Build A Nation In Which Strong, Democratic Institutions Are Firmly Established As A Guarantee Against State-induced Power Must First Learn To Liberate Their Own Minds From Apathy And Fear.

People Should Be Concerned About Installing A More Sensible, Responsible Government. What We [the Burmese] Need Is A Government That Is Accountable And Transparent, So That The People Know What It Is Doing And Can Judge For Themselves Whether Or Not They Like What Is Being Done.

The Terms Of The 2008 Constitution [which Ensures The Military Will Continue To Be The Ultimate Authority] Could Not Benefit Burma In The Long Run. I Think This Constitution Should Be Revised.

The Act Of Willingly Subtracting From One's Own Limited Store Of The Good And The Agreeable For The Sake Of Adding To That Of Others Reflects The Understanding That Individual Happiness Needs A Base Broader Than The Mere Satisfaction Of Selfish Passions. From There, It Is Not Such A Large Step To The Realization That Respecting The Susceptibilities And Rights Of Others Is As Important As Defending One's Own Susceptibilities And Rights If Civilized Society Is To Be Safeguarded.

Individual Happiness

Art History Is Always Changing Too.

I Feel That The Bbc World Service Is Not As Versatile As It Used To Be - Or Perhaps I'm Not Listening At The Right Times.

Once Serious Political Dialogue Has Begun, The International Community Can Assume That We Have Achieved Genuine Progress Along The Road To Real Democratisation.

It's Very Difficult To Have Any Faith In The Sincerity Of The Slorc About Stamping Out Drug Production If They Find It So Easy To Forgive A Drug Baron Whom At One Time They Said They Would Never, Never Forgive And Would Never, Never Regard As Anything But A Drug Runner. The Slorc Is Far More Aggressive In Its Attitude Toward The National League For Democracy Than Against Drug Traffickers.

I Learned To Work On A Computer Years Before I Was Placed Under House Arrest. Fortunately I Had Two Laptops When I Was Under House Arrest - One An Apple And One A Different Operating System. I Was Very Proud Of That Because I Know How To Use Both Systems.

Agreeing To Disagree Is A Prerogative Only Of Those Who Live Under A Democratic System.

Those Who Have To Face Persistent Political Persecution Become Highly Politicized. Our Lives Take On A Rhythm Different From Those Who, On Waking Up In The Morning, Do Not Need To Wonder Who Might Have Been Arrested During The Night And What Further Acts Of Blatant Injustice Might Be Committed Against Our People Later During The Day. Our Antennae Become Highly Sensitive To Vibrations Barely Noticed By Those Whose Everyday Existence Is Removed From Political Struggle.

Since We Live In This World, We Have To Do Our Best For This World.

After I Was Released, People Used To Keep Asking Me, 'what's It Like To Be Free? And It Was Very Difficult For Me To Answer. I'd Always Felt Free. As Far As My State Of Mind Was Concerned, I Didn't Feel Any Different...people Ask Me About What Sacrifices I've Made. I Always Answer: I've Made No Sacrifices, I've Made Choices.

Peace, Development, And Justice Are All Connected To Each Other. We Cannot Talk About Economic Development Without Talking About Peace. How Can We Expect Economic Development In A Battlefield?

It Cannot Be Doubted That In Most Countries Today Women, In Comparison To Men, Still Remain Underprivileged.

The Best Way To Help Burma Is To Empower The People Of Burma, To Help Us Have Enough Self-confidence To Obtain What We Want For Ourselves.

Self Confidence

If You Want Democracy, You Have Got To Be Prepared To Accept The Responsibilities Of Democracy. The People Have To Take Part. They Have To Understand That They Have The Power To Move Things, And They Must Really Commit Themselves To Change If They Want It.

I Do Not Look Upon My Life As A Sacrifice At All.

When You Think Of Buddhism, You're Likely To Think Of Peace And Tranquility.

Human Rights And Rule Of Law Are Inseparably Connected.

The Quintessential Revolution Is That Of The Spirit, Born Of An Intellectual Conviction Of The Need For Change In Those Mental Attitudes And Values Which Shape The Course Of A Nation's Development. A Revolution Which Aims Merely At Changing Official Policies And Institutions With A View To An Improvement In Material Conditions Has Little Chance Of Genuine Success. Without A Revolution Of The Spirit, The Forces Which Produced The Iniquities Of The Old Order Would Continue To Be Operative, Posing A Constant Threat To The Process Of Reform And Regeneration.

We Achieve Everything By Our Efforts Alone. Our Fate Is Not Decided By An Almighty God. We Decide Our Own Fate By Our Actions. You Have To Gain Mystery Over Yourself. It Is Not A Matter Of Sitting Back And Accepting.

While It Is Undeniable That Many Have Been Driven To Immorality And Crime By The Need To Survive, It Is Equally Evident That The Possession Of A Significant Surplus Of Material Goods Has Never Been A Guarantee Against Covetousness, Rapacity And The Infinite Variety Of Vice And Pain Which Spring From Such Passions. Indeed, It Could Be Argued That The Unrelenting Compulsion Of Those Who Already Have Much To Acquire Even More Has Generated Greater Injustice, Immorality And Wretchedness Than The Cumulative Effect Of The Struggles Of The Severely Underprivileged To Better Their Lot.

The Important Thing Is Fear Should Not Control Your Actions. It Should Not Dictate What You Do.

I Only Used A Cell Phone For The First Time After I Was Released. I Had Difficulty Coping With It Because It Seemed So Small And Insubstantial.

The Best Way To Deal With Aids Is Through Education. So We Need A Really Widespread Aids Education Program. In Fact, What We Need In Burma Is Education Of All Kinds - Political, Economic, And Medical. Aids Education Would Be Just Part Of A Whole Program For Education, Which Is So Badly Needed In Our Country.

In General People Feel More Relaxed About Participating In Politics. They Aren't Frightened As They Used To Be.

We Do Need Great Change In Burma. We Are Trying To Build A New Society, A Society Where Basic Human Rights Are Respected, And Where Our People Enjoy All The Benefits Of Democratic Institutions.

I'm Rather Inclined To Liking People.

Investment That Only Goes To Enrich An Already Wealthy Elite Bent On Monopolizing Both Economic And Political Power Cannot Contribute Toward Égalité And Justice - The Foundation Stones For A Sound Democracy.

I Think I Should Be Active Politically. Because I Look Upon Myself As A Politician. That's Not A Dirty Work You Know. Some People Think That There Are Something Wrong With Politicians. Of Course, Something Wrong With Some Politicians.

It Is The Love Of Ordinary People, In Burma, In Japan Or Anywhere Else In The World, For Justice And Peace And Freedom That Is Our Surest Defense Against The Forces Of Unreason And Extremism.

Every Thought, Every Word, And Every Action That Adds To The Positive And The Wholesome Is A Contribution To Peace. Each And Every One Of Us Is Capable Of Making Such A Contribution.

To Abolish Fear Correctly Is To Nurture Law And Order.

You Have A Great Many Things To Do When You Are Under House Arrest. On The One Hand, It Is More Comfortable Than Sitting In Prison; On The Other Hand, You Have To Look After A Household, Which Is Strenuous Under Such Circumstances.

I Haven't Heard Any Music On The Bbc World Service In A Long Time. Maybe I'm Listening At The Wrong Times. But Not One Single Piece Of Music.

You Must Remember That Democracy Is Made Up Not Only Of The Executive, But The Legislature And The Judiciary.

We're Nowhere Near Democracy. I've Been Released, That's All.

The Greatest Gift For An Individual Or A Nation... Was Abhaya, Fearlessness, Not Merely Bodily Courage But Absence Of Fear From The Mind.

I Always Say That One Has No Right To Hope Without Endeavor.

The Struggle For Democracy And Human Rights In Burma Is A Struggle For Life And Dignity. It Is A Struggle That Encompasses Our Political, Social And Economic Aspirations.

I'm Not The Only One Working For Democracy In Burma - There Are So Many People Who Have Worked For It Because They Believe That This Is The Only Way We Can Maintain The Dignity Of Our People.

Peace As A Goal Is An Ideal Which Will Not Be Contested By Any Government Or Nation, Not Even The Most Belligerent.

War Is Not The Only Arena Where Peace Is Done To Death. Wherever Suffering Is Ignored, There Will Be The Seeds Of Conflict, For Suffering Degrades And Embitters And Enrages.

One Wants To Be Together With One's Family. That's What Families Are About.

To Be Forgotten, Is To Die A Little.

I've Always Said That The More Coordinated The Efforts Of The International Community Are, The Better It Will Be For Democracy In Burma.

I Don't Like To Be Called A Symbol. And I Don't Like To Be Called An Icon. I Will Just Say That I Have To Work Very, Very Hard. So I'd Rather Be Known As A Hard Worker. I Don't Think Symbols Do Much, Nor Icons.

I Can Say With Absolute Confidence That The General Public Of Burma Would Be Very Little Affected, If At All, By Sanctions. So Far, The Kind Of Investments That Have Come In Have Benefited The Public Very Little Indeed. If You Have Been In Burma Long Enough, You Will Be Aware Of The Fact That A Small Elite Has Developed That Is Extremely Wealthy. Perhaps They Would Be Affected, But My Concern Is Not With Them But With The General Public.

If You Look At The Democratic Process As A Game Of Chess, There Have To Be Many, Many Moves Before You Get To Checkmate. And Simply Because You Do Not Make Any Checkmate In Three Moves Does Not Mean It's Stalemate. There's A Vast Difference Between No Checkmate And Stalemate. This Is What The Democratic Process Is Like.

One Should Mature Over 20 Years.

If You Feel Helpless, Go Help Someone.

If Suffering Were An Unavoidable Part Of Our Existence, We Should Try To Alleviate It As Far As Possible In Practical, Earthly Ways.

It Is Undeniably Easier To Ignore The Hardships Of Those Who Are Too Weak To Demand Their Rights Than To Respond Sensitively To Their Needs. To Care Is To Accept Responsibility, To Dare To Act In Accordance With The Dictum That The Ruler Is The Strength Of The Helpless.

I Think It's Time For The Army To Understand That Power Should Be Enshrined In The People If We Are To Be A Genuine Democracy And Not In Any Particular Institution Or Organisation.

There Is No Hope Without Endeavor.

Lasting Solutions Are Always Difficult To Come To. But They Will Have To Persevere. I've Been Repeating Ad Nauseam That We In Burma We Are Weak With Regard To The Culture Of Negotiated Compromises, That We Have To Develop The Ability To Achieve Such Compromises.

Justice Is A Dream. But It Is A Dream That We Are Determined To Realize.

Perhaps Singapore Could Learn From Us A More Relaxed Way Of Life.

If You Can Make People Understand Why Freedom Is So Important Through The Arts, That Would Be A Big Help.

I Think There's A Need For The Participation Of The Military For The Stability Of The Transformation Period Of Burma. If The Military And The People Do Unite Together For The Sake Of Our Country, We Can Reach The Development Of Our Country In A Very Short Time.

Burma Wants To Have Good Relations With Our Neighboring Countries, China And India. I Do Believe The United States Itself Wants To Live In Harmony With China And India. That's Why We Have To Lay Down Political Policies That Are Fair For Everyone.

All Right, Your Knees May Be Knocking But That Shouldn't Prevent You From Going Ahead And Doing What You Need To Do.

How Can You Call It A Sacrifice When You Choose To Do Something Because You Believe In It?

I Think By Now I Have Made It Fairly Clear That I Am Not Very Happy With The Word Hope. I Don't Believe In People Just Hoping. We Work For What We Want. I Always Say That One Has No Right To Hope Without Endeavor, So We Work To Try And Bring About The Situation That Is Necessary For The Country, And We Are Confident That We Will Get To The Negotiation Table At One Time Or Another. This Is The Way All Such Situations Pan Out Even With The Most Truculent Dictator.

As You Look At Me And Listen To Me, Please Remember The Often Repeated Truth That One Prisoner Of Conscience Is One Too Many.

I Felt That It Was My Duty Not To Senselessly Waste My Time. And Since I Didn't Want To Waste My Time, I Tried To Accomplish As Much As Possible.

Wasting My Time

The Democracy Process Provides For Political And Social Change Without Violence.

The Main Aim Of The [political] Dialogue Should Be To Resolve The Problems Of The Nation, Not To Find Who Is The Winner And Who Is The Loser. That's Not What It's All About. It's To Try And Find An Answer That Is Acceptable To All Parties Concerned, Which Would Of Course Require Some Give And Take.

What I Have Experienced Is Nothing Compared To What Political Prisoners In Prisons Suffer.

You May Not Think About Politics, But Politics Think About You.

I Don't Think Of Myself As Unbreakable. Perhaps I'm Just Rather Flexible And Adaptable.

I Do Not Like To Encourage Personalized Politics, So We Would Not Like It To Be Thought That Just Because Certain Political Personalities Were Attacked, This Means The Situation Is Very Grave. The True Gravity Of The Situation Comes From The Fact That Ordinary Members Of The Nld Are Repressed All The Time. We Don't Want A Completely Paralyzed Political Organization, While A Select Few Leaders Are Protected By International Attention.

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