“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.”

To be kind is to respond with sensitivity and human warmth to the hopes and needs of others.

If you look at the democratic process as a game of chess, there have to be many, many moves before you get to checkmate. And simply because you do not make any checkmate in three moves does not mean it’s stalemate.

I always say that one has no right to hope without endeavor.

Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in our world…

Fearlessness may be a gift, but perhaps most precious is courage from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one’s actions.

The search for scapegoats is essentially an abnegation of responsibility: it indicates an inability to assess honestly and intelligently the true nature of the problems which lie at the root of social and economic difficulties and a lack of resolve in grappling with them.

Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free men and women are the oppressed who go on trying and who in the process make themselves fit to bear the responsibilities and uphold the disciplines which will maintain a free society.

The four basic ingredients for success are: you must have the will to want something; you must have the right kind of attitude.

There is no hope without endeavor.

I only used a cell phone for the first time after I was released. I had difficulty coping with it because it seemed so small and insubstantial.

I think by now I have made it fairly clear that I am not very happy with the word hope. I don’t believe in people just hoping.

By helping others, you will learn how to help yourselves.

Democracy is when the people keep a government in check.

Human beings the world over need freedom and security that they may be able to realize their full potential.

The good ruler sublimates his needs as an individual to the service of the nation.

I think it’s time for the Army to understand that power should be enshrined in the people if we are to be a genuine democracy and not in any particular institution or organisation.

We are trying to urge North Korea to abandon their nuclear development program.

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.

Everyone has to contribute, or they become laborers.

Precisely at the point when you begin to develop a conscience you must find yourself at war with your society.

Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner.

I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.

Living well is an art that can be developed: a love of life and ability to take great pleasure from small offerings and assurance that the world owes you nothing and that every gift is exactly that, a gift.

When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.