“Even one voice can be heard loudly all over the world in this day and age.”
“At this age, I should be leading a quiet life.”
“Maybe it is something to do with age, but I have become fonder of poetry than of prose.”
“I think sometimes if you are alone, you are freer because your time is your own.”
“One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing genuine democracy to a country.”
“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. 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.”
“My attitude is, do as much as I can while I'm free. And if I'm arrested I'll still do as much as I can.”
“Since we live in this world, we have to do our best for this world.”
“Humor is one of the best ingredients of survival.”
“The democracy process provides for political and social change without violence.”
“For me, 'revolution' simply means radical change.”
“I don't think you can work on feelings in politics, apart from anything else, political change can come very unexpectedly, sometimes overnight when you least expect it.”
“I don't understand why people say that I am full of courage. I feel terribly nervous.”
“War is not the only arena where peace is done to death.”
“Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.”
“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.”
“A family is very special. So when a family splits up, it's not good, it's never good.”
“Of course I regret not having been able to spend time with my family.”
“One wants to be together with one's family. That's what families are about.”
“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.”
“Human beings the world over need freedom and security that they may be able to realize their full potential.”
“Human beings want to be free and however long they may agree to stay locked up, to stay oppressed, there will come a time when they say 'That's it.' Suddenly they find themselves doing something that they never would have thought they would be doing, simply because of the human instinct that makes them turn their face towards freedom.”
“If you can make people understand why freedom is so important through the arts, that would be a big help.”
“Democracy is when the people keep a government in check.”
“Peace as a goal is an ideal which will not be contested by any government or nation, not even the most belligerent.”
“Every government must consider the security of the country. That is just part of the responsibilities of any government. But true security can only come out of unity within a country where there are so many ethnic nationalities.”
“If I was afraid of being killed, I would never speak out against the government.”
“My opinion is the greatest reward that any government could get is the approval of the people. If the people are happy and the people are at peace and the government has done something for them, that's the greatest reward I think any government could hope for.”
“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 terms of the history of a far reaching movement, 20 years is not that long.”
“History is always changing.”
“I do protect human rights, and I hope I shall always be looked up as a champion of human rights.”
“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.”
“I haven't heard any music on the BBC World Service in a long time. Maybe I'm listening at the wrong times. But not one single piece of music.”
“I don't want to see the military falling. I want to see the military rising to dignified heights of professionalism and true patriotism.”
“The Nobel Peace Prize opened up a door in my heart.”
“Frankly, if you do politics, you should not be thinking about your dignity.”
“In general people feel more relaxed about participating in politics. They aren't frightened as they used to be.”
“In politics, you also have to be cautiously optimistic.”
“The value systems of those with access to power and of those far removed from such access cannot be the same. The viewpoint of the privileged is unlike that of the underprivileged.”
“What does Burma have to give the United States? We can give you the opportunity to engage with people who are ready and willing to change a society.”
“I think I should be active politically. Because I look upon myself as a politician. That's not a dirty work you know. Some people think that there are something wrong with politicians. Of course, something wrong with some politicians.”