Aung San Suu Kyi Quotes - Page 11

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.

Fires of suffering and strife are raging around the world.

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?

I could listen to the radio and I had access to books from time to time. Not all the time.

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.

As we strive to teach others we must have the humility to acknowledge that we too still have much to learn.

Assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN isn't going to do anything about improving the lives of people.

I'm rather inclined to liking people.

I was a prisoner, but I always felt free because I was not frightened So for me real freedom is freedom from fear.

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.

As the twentieth century draws to a close it has become obvious that material yardsticks alone cannot serve as an adequate measure of human well-being. Even as basic an issue as poverty has to be re-examined to take into account the psychological sense of deprivation that makes people feel poor.

If suffering were an unavoidable part of our existence, we should try to alleviate it as far as possible in practical, earthly ways.

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.

The basis of democratic freedom is freedom of speech.

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.

People need security of the mind. Why do they want democracy? Because it can give them freedom and security in a balanced way.

I've always said that the most important thing is job creation. Jobs will earn people money and build self-confidence.

Maybe it is something to do with age, but I have become fonder of poetry than of prose.

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.

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.

One prisoner of conscience is one too many.

There have been many claims that [U.S.] sanctions have hurt Burma economically, but I did not agree with that point of view. If you look at reports by the IMF, for example, they make quite clear that the economic impact on Burma has not been that great. But I think the political impact has been very great and that has helped us in our struggle for democracy.

After all it was my father who founded the Burmese army and I do have a sense of warmth towards the Burmese army.

We cannot be caught in the bond of suspicion. We have to carry out what we should be doing with a firm determination.

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.