Aung San Suu Kyi

The Nobel Peace Prize opened up a door in my heart.

This was the way I was brought up to think of politics, that politics was to do with ethics, it was to do with responsibility, it was to do with service, so I think I was conditioned to think like that, and I'm too old to change now.

The people have given me their support they have given me their trust and confidence. My colleagues have suffered a lot in order to give me support. I do not look upon my life as a sacrifice at all.

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.

I don't want to see the military falling. I want to see the military rising to dignified heights of professionalism and true patriotism.

I don't understand why people say that I am full of courage. I feel terribly nervous.

I've always tried to explain democracy is not perfect. But it gives you a chance to shape your own destiny.

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.

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.

Since we live in this world, we have to do our best for this world.

Even one voice can be heard loudly all over the world in this day and age.

War is not the only arena where peace is done to death.

Humor is one of the best ingredients of survival.

Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.

I do protect human rights, and I hope I shall always be looked up as a champion of human rights.

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.

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.

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