Quotes By Aung San Suu Kyi

Humor is one of the best ingredients of survival.

What I have experienced is nothing compared to what political prisoners in prisons suffer.

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

I felt that it was my duty not to senselessly waste my time. And since I didn't want to waste my time, I tried to accomplish as much as possible.

If I was afraid of being killed, I would never speak out against the government.

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. There's a vast difference between no checkmate and stalemate. This is what the democratic process is like.

For me, 'revolution' simply means radical change.

More people, especially young people, are realising that if they want change, they've got to go about it themselves - they can't depend on a particular person, i.e. me, to do all the work. They are less easy to fool than they used to be, they now know what's going on all over the world.

All repressive laws must be revoked, and laws introduced to protect the rights of the people.

All military regimes use security as the reason why they should remain in power. It's nothing original.

I think I was the healthiest prisoner of conscience in the world.

You cannot compromise unless people talk to you.

If I were the blushing kind, I would blush to be called a hero.

I was a bit of a coward when I was small. I was terribly frightened of the dark.

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.

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

Books always help.

In terms of the history of a far reaching movement, 20 years is not that long.

It could achieve a lot if everyone in Burma could stop saying something is good if it is not good, or say something is just if it is not just.

It is often in the name of cultural integrity as well as social stability and national security that democratic reforms based on human rights are resisted by authoritarian governments.

When you decide to follow a certain path, you should follow it to the end and not be diverted from it for personal reasons.

Dissidents can't be dissidents forever; we are dissidents because we don't want to be dissidents.

Of course I regret not having been able to spend time with my family.

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

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

I'm rather inclined to liking people.

Frankly, if you do politics, you should not be thinking about your dignity.

As long as there is no law in Burma, any individual here can be arrested at any time.

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

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.