“Rwanda was considered a second-class operation because it was a small country, we had been able to maintain a kind of status quo. They were negotiating, they’d accepted the new peace project, so we were under the impression that everything would be solved easily.”

I used to say I never talk about my successor, neither about my predecessor.

We were not realizing that, with just a machete, you can do a genocide.

For us, genocide was the gas chamber – what happened in Germany. We were not able to realize that with the machete you can create a genocide.

It has long been recognized that an essential element in protecting human rights was a widespread knowledge among the population of what their rights are and how they can be defended.

There is a greater fatigue concerning the African problem today than five or 10 years ago. The situation now in Africa is worse today than it was 10 years ago.

In our interdependent world, our neighbors are not only on our street, but can be ten thousand miles away on an island in rising seas.

Their neighbours are being murdered, but they only make calculations for their own benefit.

Those same people, when they leave the theater, when they look behind the curtains they are curious about their neighbors, they can guess if their neighbors are siblings or a couple, how old they are, what their occupation is.

Always act in such a way as to secure the love of your neighbour.

I am my nearest neighbour.

I would say to a young person: continue to study. Study what is taking place in your community, in your neighborhood, maybe at your school.

Loving God means serving our neighbour without reserve.

May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, angels protect you and heaven accept you.