People in Hong Kong depended not on the government but on themselves and their families. They worked hard and tried their luck in business, hawking or making widgets, or buying and selling. The drive to succeed was intense; family and extended family ties were strong. Long before Milton Friedman held up Hong Kong as a model of a free enterprise economy, I had seen the advantage of having little or no social safety net. It spurred Hong Kong’s people to strive to succeed.

— Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew Quotes

The Japanese high command recognised the sexual needs of the men and provided for them. As a consequence, rape was not frequent.

— Lee Kuan Yew

You can bargain for better wages, you can bargain for higher productivity bonuses. But once the bargain has been struck, then you must enter into the spirit of the agreement, and put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage. There must be no fooling around, work means discipline. Singapore’s success depends on the spirit in which workers, management and government, all three, enter into the spirit of cooperation, necessary for prosperity.

— Lee Kuan Yew

If you do not know history, you think short term. If you know history, you think medium and long term.

— Lee Kuan Yew

There is a glorious rainbow that beckons those with the spirit of adventure. And there are rich findings at the end of that rainbow. To the young and the not too old, I say look at the horizon, find that rainbow, go ride it. Not all will be rich; quite a few will find a vein of gold; but all who pursue that rainbow will have a joyous and exhilarating ride and some profit.

— Lee Kuan Yew

Demography, not democracy, will be the most critical factor for security and growth in the 21st century.

— Lee Kuan Yew

I did not know I was to spend the rest of my life getting Singapore not just to work but to prosper and flourish.

— Lee Kuan Yew

That which is written without much effort is seldom read with much pleasure.

— Lee Kuan Yew

You need, besides determination, all the other attributes that will push a project along. You must have application, you must be prepared to work hard, you must be prepared to get people to work with you.

— Lee Kuan Yew

Men are not born equal in either physical or mental capacity. But a socialist believes that society as a whole will benefit, and there will be more happiness for more people, if all are given equal opportunities for education and advancement regardless of class or property.

— Lee Kuan Yew

I do not want to sound like a hawk or a dove. If I have to choose a metaphor from the aviary, I would like to think of the owl.

— Lee Kuan Yew

The art of government is the art of building up team spirit.

— Lee Kuan Yew

People in Hong Kong depended not on the government but on themselves and their families. They worked hard and tried their luck in business, hawking or making widgets, or buying and selling. The drive to succeed was intense; family and extended family ties were strong. Long before Milton Friedman held up Hong Kong as a model of a free enterprise economy, I had seen the advantage of having little or no social safety net. It spurred Hong Kong’s people to strive to succeed.

— Lee Kuan Yew

But it is possible to create a society in which everybody is given not equal rewards, but equal opportunities, and where rewards vary not in accordance with the ownership of property, but with the worth of a person’s contribution to that society. In other words, society should make it worth people’s while to give their best to the country. This is the way to progress.

— Lee Kuan Yew

We are pragmatists. We don’t stick to any ideology. Does it work? Let’s try it, and if it does work, fine, let’s continue it. If it doesn’t work, toss it out, try another one. We are not enamored with any ideology.

— Lee Kuan Yew

The future is as full of promise as it is fraught with uncertainty.

— Lee Kuan Yew

There are really only two civilisations in Asia worth talking about – China and Persia.

— Kuan Yew Lee

I wanted someone my equal, not someone who was not really grown up and needed looking after, and I was not likely to find another girl who was my equal and who shared my interests.

— Lee Kuan Yew

Human beings are created unequal, and no amount of social engineering or government intervention can significantly alter one’s lot in life. At most, government policies can help equalise opportunity at the starting point, but they cannot ensure equal outcomes. Society is bound to end up with unequal outcomes.

— Lee Kuan Yew

It was the first time I had left Singapore to go overseas. I was being exposed to a new world of the hates and loves, the prejudices and biases of different peoples.

— Lee Kuan Yew

We accept human nature as it is, then we base our system on it. Your system must accept that human nature is like that. You get the best out of people for society by incentives and disincentives. If you remove too much of their rewards from the top tier, they will migrate.

— Lee Kuan Yew
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