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
Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one's actions, courage that could be described as 'grace under pressure' - grace which is renewed repeatedly in the face of harsh, unremitting pressure.
Interpretation
True courage is developed through persistence and refusing to let fear control you.
Aung San Suu Kyiβs quote emphasizes that while fearlessness can be seen as a natural gift, the courage that one develops through facing challenges is far more valuable. This learned courage emerges from consistently deciding not to allow fear to dictate one's actions, especially in difficult situations, exemplifying a form of 'grace under pressure' that is both admirable and necessary in life.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.
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.
I ran away from St. Louis, and then I ran away from the United States, because of that terror of discrimination.
In 14 months, my government, the Philippine 2 government, has filed 11 cases. I posted bail eight times, I've been arrested twice in five weeks, detained once, and the only thing I've done, my only crime is to be a journalist, to speak truth to power.
Courage is a moral quality; it is not a chance gift of nature like an aptitude for games. It is a cold choice between two alternatives, the fixed resolve not to quit; an act of renunciation which must be made not once but many times by the power of the will.
I prided myself on being unflappable even in the most chaotic of circumstances.
We may fight terrorism through brute force, but the terror that is unleashed in the name of religion can only be challenged through moral courage.
I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.
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