Quote collection
284 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"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."
"People need security of the mind. Why do they want democracy? Because it can give them freedom and security in a balanced way."
"We cannot be caught in the bond of suspicion. We have to carry out what we should be doing with a firm determination."
"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."
"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."
"Foreign investors will not come and do things without any returns for themselves. And we don't expect them to come work for us free. But the local population should benefit rightfully. The locals should benefit just a little more than the companies."
"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."
"There should be no political prisoners in a democratic country."
"I've always said that the most important thing is job creation. Jobs will earn people money and build self-confidence."
"If suffering were an unavoidable part of our existence, we should try to alleviate it as far as possible in practical, earthly ways."
"I'm rather inclined to liking people."
"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."
"Of course I regret not having been able to spend time with my family."
"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."
"I could listen to the radio and I had access to books from time to time. Not all the time."
"What I have experienced is nothing compared to what political prisoners in prisons suffer."
"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."
"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."
"I was a prisoner, but I always felt free because I was not frightened So for me real freedom is freedom from fear."
"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."