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
At this age, I should be leading a quiet life.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on expectations versus reality as one ages, suggesting a desire for peace versus the challenges of leadership.
Aung San Suu Kyi's quote expresses a poignant contrast between the common expectation of a tranquil life in one's later years and the tumultuous responsibilities that often accompany leadership. It highlights the internal struggle between personal desires for serenity and the obligation to address pressing societal issues, illustrating the complexities that come with age and public service.
In practice
A speaker at a conference on leadership might use this quote to illustrate the burdens that come with power.
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 answers were maddeningly absentβit was like trying to remember a song that you knew made you feel a certain way, without a title, artist, or even a few bars to bring it back.
It's not the situation, but whether we react, or respond, to the situation that's important.
It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.
The Ego is an exquisite instrument. Enjoy it, use it--just don't get lost in it.
Take one thing with another, and the world is a pretty good sort of a world, and it is our duty to make the best of it, and be thankful.
If you go on working with the light available, you will meet your Master, as he himself will be seeking you.
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