“The peace of our world is indivisible. As long as negative forces are getting the better of positive forces anywhere, we are all at risk.”

I think that freedom is sometimes a state of mind. Sometimes, mind you, but not always.

I chose to walk on this journey, because I solely believed in it and wholeheartedly decided to do so, and I’m willing and able to pay for the consequences.

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.

Fear is a habit; I am not afraid.

My attitude to peace is rather based on the Burmese definition of peace – it really means removing all the negative factors that destroy peace in this world.

Intimidation and propaganda work in a duet of oppression, while the people, lapped in fear and distrust, learn to dissemble and to keep silent.

There is a time to be quiet and a time to talk.

Challenges mean opportunities as well.

The people of my country want the two freedoms that spell security: freedom from want and freedom from fear.

So peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or to war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as inequality, poverty.

If you can make people understand why freedom is so important through the arts, that would be a big help.

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.

With the right kind of institutions, starting with the rule of law, Burma could progress very quickly.

Kindness can change the lives of people.

Sometimes, 24 hours can bring a total revolutionary change.

There’s a vast difference between no checkmate and stalemate. This is what the democratic process is like.

You might not have the things you want, but if you check carefully, you got all you need.

All I ever wanted to do with my life was own a little house. I did that way back with ‘Rocky,’ so now everything I do is just icing on the cake.

My wife can’t cook at all. She made chocolate mousse. An antler got stuck in my throat.

I’m all about giving up-and-coming people a chance.

Dissident intellectuals aren’t all beautiful.

Severities should be dealt out all at once, so that their suddenness may give less offense.

It is when we all play safe that we create a world of utmost insecurity.

All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume.