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.
Aung San Suu Kyi
Democracy is when the people keep a government in check.
Humor is one of the best ingredients of survival.
Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.
By helping others, you will learn how to help yourselves.
Sometimes I think that a parody of democracy could be more dangerous than a blatant dictatorship, because that gives people an opportunity to avoid doing anything about it.
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.
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.
If you choose to do something, then you shouldn't say it's a sacrifice, because nobody forced you to do it.
I don't think of myself as unbreakable. Perhaps I'm just rather flexible and adaptable.
Since we live in this world, we have to do our best for this world.
The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity. It is a struggle that encompasses our political, social and economic aspirations.
Peace as a goal is an ideal which will not be contested by any government or nation, not even the most belligerent.
If you do nothing you get nothing.
One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing genuine democracy to a country.
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.
Fundamental violations of human rights always lead to people feeling less and less human.
Human beings the world over need freedom and security that they may be able to realize their full potential.
I don't believe in professional dissidents. I think it's just a phase, like adolescence.
I'm not the only one working for democracy in Burma - there are so many people who have worked for it because they believe that this is the only way we can maintain the dignity of our people.
I've been repeating ad nauseam that we in Burma, we are weak with regard to the culture of negotiated compromises, that we have to develop the ability to achieve such compromises.
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.
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.
In politics, you also have to be cautiously optimistic.
I'm feeling a little delicate.
For me, 'revolution' simply means radical change.
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.
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.
When I was under house arrest, it was the BBC that spoke to me - I listened.
If you can make people understand why freedom is so important through the arts, that would be a big help.
I was a bit of a coward when I was small. I was terribly frightened of the dark.
If I were the blushing kind, I would blush to be called a hero.
Assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN isn't going to do anything about improving the lives of people.
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 don't think I have achieved anything that I can really be proud of.
There is so much that we need to do for our country. I don't think that we can afford to wait.
Even one voice can be heard loudly all over the world in this day and age.
I don't want Burma to be a basket case forever.
I was heartened that people everywhere want certain basic freedoms, even if they live in a totally different cultural environment.
We are not out to boast that there is so much percentage of growth per year. Our real concern is how it affects the lives of people, the future of our country.
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.
I've always tried to explain democracy is not perfect. But it gives you a chance to shape your own destiny.
Dissidents can't be dissidents forever; we are dissidents because we don't want to be dissidents.
Burmese authors and artists can play the role that artists everywhere play. They help to mold the outlook of a society - not the whole outlook, and they are not the only ones to mold the outlook of society, but they have an important role to play there.
I could listen to the radio and I had access to books from time to time. Not all the time.
Whatever help we may want from the international community now or in the future, we want to make sure that this help is tailored to help our people to help themselves.
I do protect human rights, and I hope I shall always be looked up as a champion of human rights.
When the Nobel Committee chose to honor me, the road I had chosen of my own free will became a less lonely path to follow.
Once serious political dialogue has begun, the international community can assume that we have achieved genuine progress along the road to real democratisation.
