“We’ve had 60 years of intellectual development in Iran. How can we have the same system?”

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.

The U.S. should start talking about disarmament, nuclear disarmament, of the region.

Recently, we witnessed massive demonstration by Iranian woman in the 7th of Tir square, and it was brutally suppressed.

The difference between us and the other side is that they use populist and…kind of slogans that are…they fool the people.

In Iran, where everything is covert, we have no firsthand information.

The lower strata are suffering all kinds of oppression and the injustice that is inflicted upon them has many faces and many facets.

Even theories of secularism are constantly being revised and changed.

It began early in the revolution. It was a process that was unfolding on a daily basis. We expected the system to be dispensing justice, but every day that passed by.

[In] every revolution, there is a great divergence between what the revolutionaries expect and what the revolution actually accomplishes.

Khomeini obviously had many problems, but he had one clever side to him.

To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.

Through the sacred art of pausing, we develop the capacity to stop hiding, to stop running away from our experience. We begin to trust in our natural intelligence, in our naturally wise heart, in our capacity to open to whatever arises.

Once you accept the fact that you’re not perfect, then you develop some confidence.

Since the only way you are going to find solutions to painful problems is by thinking deeply about them – i.e., reflecting – if you can develop a knee-jerk reaction to pain that is to reflect rather than to fight or flee, it will lead to your rapid learning/evolving.

When interest rates are low we have conditions for asset bubbles to develop, and they are developing at the moment. The ultimate asset bubble is gold.

Just avoid things like racing trains to the crossing, doing cocaine, etc. Develop good mental habits.

Not being beautiful was the true blessing. Not being beautiful forced me to develop my inner resources. The pretty girl has a handicap to overcome.

If you can’t travel to the developing world, look at helping to fund a woman with a small loan and follow her. Learn her story. Learn about the difference that you’re making.