“Fear is a habit; I am not afraid.”

Each man has in him the potential to realize the truth through his own will and endeavour and to help others to realize it.

Each and every one of us is capable of making such a contribution.

There is nothing to be gained by being unnecessarily nasty. Violence begets violence.

Jobless people will have no self-confidence. And they feel they are worthless because when you don’t have a job you have to rely on someone.

It is not power that corrupts but fear.

If you are feeling helpless, help someone.

I’ve always thought that the best solution for those who feel helpless is for them to help others.

Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour.

It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.

The history of the world shows that peoples and societies do not have to pass through a fixed series of stages in the course of development.

In societies where men are truly confident of their own worth women are not merely “tolerated”, they are valued.

When I was in London a Kachin youth criticized me for not condemning the Burmese military for their offensive in Kachin State. I answered “condemnation is not the solution.” We want to build reconciliation, not condemnation.

One should mature over 20 years.

The true measure of the justice of a system is the amount of protection it guarantees to the weakest.

Kindness can change the lives of people.

It would be difficult to dispel ignorance unless there is freedom to pursue the truth unfettered by fear.

I’m not good enough to be a saint and not bad enough to be interesting.

I’m not tortured and neurasthenic – I’m really not.

I feel a kinship with anyone who feels that their road, their life or who they really are is not good enough. I really relate to that.

Ghana must not, Ghana cannot be neutral in the struggle of the oppressed against the oppressor.

I’m not afraid to be lonely at the top.

Not at all. Once they have achieved equality, they will be your masters . . .

There is Auschwitz, and so there cannot be God.

I like not only to be loved, but also to be told I am loved.