“Religion is separate from the institution of the state.”

There are varieties of theories of revolution. According to one of these theories, only one of these theories, revolutions occur when there is an explosion of rising expectation.

The most important dichotomy that I make for a society is between those who support democracy and human rights, and those who oppose it.

Three of our provinces have seen mass uprisings. The three provinces are Khuzestan, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan.

Negotiation talks are the best way to solve anything. We must replace wars and weapons with negotiations and talks.

Why did the regime put me in prison in the first place? I was put in prison for six years and it has been all illegal.

Religion is the private affair of an individual…be present in the public domain, but state has to be clearly separated from religion.

I, too, am against the dismantlement of Iran.

The Shah’s regime was an incorrigible regime and after a while, when the revolution happened.

They obviously collected a lot of votes, but these monies could not solve the structural problems that these people face. But the only result, the only consequence, was that a big sum from the budget was wasted this way.

When I say that I am opposed to this budget, everyone says, “Well, what do you think the United States should do?” My response is, “Why should the United States do anything?”

We must struggle for creating a democratic system that is dedicated to democracy and human rights.

He never made economic promises to people and as a result, he never led to dissatisfaction in this perspective. Because they need to get votes, they use misleading slogans. And this leads to rising expectations. I had a personal experience.

The Revolutionary Guard was created to help defend the revolution, but it soon was diverted from its initial path.

In the West, when all of these reactors, nuclear reactors, are matters…part of the public domain, there are all kinds of supervision over them.

In a totalitarian state, the state views any act of an individual to be political in nature. For example, the clothing that a person wears in a modern state is a private affair whereas in the Islamic Republic all women are forced to wear the hijab (Islamic attire).

Revolutions invariably don’t solve the issue of justice, and in its place, suppression and limiting freedom replaces that idea.

Institutions of the newer participants in global finance had not been tested, until recently…recent crisis have underscored certain financial structure vulnerabilities that are not readily assuaged in the short run.

A democratic constitution, not supported by democratic institutions in detail, but confined to the central government, not only is not political freedom, but often creates a spirit precisely the reverse, carrying down to the lowest grade in society the desire and ambition of political domination.

If the country is to survive as a democracy it will depend on voters who understand how our political institutions have evolved and the events that went into their creation.

You can’t name an institution that doesn’t depend on volunteers.

These latter institutions [the civil service, trade unions, media of all kinds], notably of course television.

The institution of marriage is obsolete.

All official institutions of language are repeating machines: school, sports, advertising, popular songs, news, all continually repeat the same structure, the same meaning, often the same words: the stereotype is a political fact, the major figure of ideology.

Any place that anyone can learn something useful from someone with experience is an educational institution.