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.
Perhaps Singapore could learn from us a more relaxed way of life.
It is part of the unceasing human endeavor to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his own nature.
If suffering were an unavoidable part of our existence, we should try to alleviate it as far as possible in practical, earthly ways.
To the best of my knowledge, no war was ever started by women. But it is women and children who have always suffered most in situations of conflict.
Agreeing to disagree is a prerogative only of those who live under a democratic system.
I was a prisoner, but I always felt free because I was not frightened So for me real freedom is freedom from fear.
Justice is a dream. But it is a dream that we are determined to realize.
As we strive to teach others we must have the humility to acknowledge that we too still have much to learn.
Investment that only goes to enrich an already wealthy elite bent on monopolizing both economic and political power cannot contribute toward egalite and justice – the foundation stones for a sound democracy.
Democracy, like liberty, justice and other social and political rights, is not “given”, it is earned through courage, resolution and sacrifice.
The root of a nation’s misfortunes has to be sought in the moral failings of the government.
It is essential to institute a legal framework that would ensure justice and improve the quality of life in Burma immediately, because the greatest suffering among the people at the moment is caused by lack of justice and lack of the rule of law.
A lot of the roads, bridges, railways, and such are built through the use of forced labor, and that is causing the people great suffering. What we put into this in the form of human suffering is not worth what comes out of it.
You have a great many things to do when you are under house arrest. On the one hand, it is more comfortable than sitting in prison; on the other hand, you have to look after a household, which is strenuous under such circumstances.
When you think of Buddhism, you’re likely to think of peace and tranquility.
That’s not how politics works – sometimes things move in a rather imperceptible way. There are no fireworks, and then comes a time when change comes unexpectedly. Sometimes change comes with a lot of fireworks, but not always.
I’ve never thought of myself as being particularly brave – I used to be frightened of the dark when I was small. And I’m not very good with dead rats and things like that. But I face what has to be faced and I hope as best as I’m able.
While there is wisdom in refraining from implementing change merely for the sake of change, clinging to old ways solely for the sake of their antiquity is obviously equally futile.
In spite of the open, laughing face that the Burmese presented to the world, the ingrained, if inarticulate, conviction of their own nationhood prevented them from truly admitting those they saw as ‘foreign’ into their inner sancturns.
But even amid such stirring events, those two scourges of Burmese politics, factionalism and jealousy, began to cast their shadow.