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
The basis of democratic freedom is freedom of speech.
Interpretation
Democratic freedom relies fundamentally on the right to express one's thoughts and opinions.
Aung San Suu Kyi emphasizes the crucial role that freedom of speech plays in a democratic society. Without the ability for individuals to voice their opinions, share ideas, and engage in open discourse, the very foundation of democracy is compromised. This quote highlights that true democracy is dependent on ensuring all voices can be heard, making it vital for societal progress and the protection of individual rights.
In practice
In a lecture about the importance of civil liberties.
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.
When they tell you to grow up, they mean stop growing.
It is not permissible to add to one's possesions if these things can only be done at the cost of other men. Such development has only one true name, and that is exploitation.
Tears are often the telescope by which men see far into heaven.
In many parts of the world, chaining of people with mental illnesses is not uncommon, nor is seeing people walking around in clearly an unwell state, half naked, and no one takes any notice of them. It is tragic. There is a basic human right, which is not about just healthcare, but it is about the right to life with dignity, a right to citizenship.
A man's real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.
But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.