The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear
One should mature over 20 years.
I look forward to trying the Internet.
Regime is made up of people, so I do put faces to regimes and governments, so I feel that all human beings have the right to be given the benefit of the doubt, and they also have to be given the right to try to redeem themselves if they so wish.
A more significant phase should mean serious political dialogue.
Once serious political dialogue has begun, the international community can assume that we have achieved genuine progress along the road to real democratisation.
I knew some of the army quite well.
In general people feel more relaxed about participating in politics. They aren't frightened as they used to be.
It doesn't seem right for anybody to get so much attention.
Of course I regret not having been able to spend time with my family.
I think I was the healthiest prisoner of conscience in the world.
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.
By helping others, you will learn how to help yourselves.
Humor is one of the best ingredients of survival.
I do protect human rights, and I hope I shall always be looked up as a champion of human rights.
I don't want to see the military falling. I want to see the military rising to dignified heights of professionalism and true patriotism.
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.
If you want to bring an end to long-standing conflict, you have to be prepared to compromise.
If you choose to do something, then you shouldn't say it's a sacrifice, because nobody forced you to do it.
Since we live in this world, we have to do our best for this world.
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.
Fundamental violations of human rights always lead to people feeling less and less human.
We want to empower our people; we want to strengthen them; we want to provide them with the kind of qualifications that will enable them to build up their own country themselves.
I wish people wouldn't think of me as a saint - unless they agree with the definition of a saint that a saint's a sinner who goes on trying.
I've always been strongly on the side of non-violence.
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.
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.
The best way to help Burma is to empower the people of Burma, to help us have enough self-confidence to obtain what we want for ourselves.
There is a time to be quiet and a time to talk.
