People ask me about what sacrifices I've made. I always answer: I've made no sacrifices, I've made choices.
Aung San Suu KyiRead
If I was afraid of being killed, I would never speak out against the government.
Interpretation
Courage is essential for speaking out against oppression despite the risks involved.
Aung San Suu Kyi articulates the importance of bravery in the face of fear. Speaking out against authority, especially in oppressive regimes, requires immense courage, and the willingness to confront potential dangers is a vital aspect of advocating for justice and rights.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about civil rights to inspire activism among the audience.
People ask me about what sacrifices I've made. I always answer: I've made no sacrifices, I've made choices.
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.
This was the way I was brought up to think of politics, that politics was to do with ethics, it was to do with responsibility, it was to do with service, so I think I was conditioned to think like that, and I'm too old to change now.
My top priority is for people to understand that they have the power to change things themselves.
If you want to bring an end to long-standing conflict, you have to be prepared to compromise.
Where there is no justice there can be no secure peace.
The characteristic of genuine heroism is its persistency. All men have wandering impulses, fits and starts of generosity. But when you have resolved to be great, abide by yourself, and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself with the world. The heroic cannot be the common, nor the common the heroic.
LGBT people are some of the bravest and most potent change agents and leaders I have encountered, and the most forceful defenders of the vulnerable and voiceless, because they know what it's like to be there.
Everybody's frightened a bit. But how many of us just go through the fear and do it anyway?
Donβt wait to be hunted to hide, that was always my motto.
Independence is never given to a people, it has to be earned; and, once earned, must be defended.
Rape is one of the most terrible crimes on earth and it happens every few minutes. The problem with groups who deal with rape is that they try to educate women about how to defend themselves. What really needs to be done is teaching men not to rape. Go to the source and start there.
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