At this age, I should be leading a quiet life.

As the twentieth century draws to a close it has become obvious that material yardsticks alone cannot serve as an adequate measure of human well-being. Even as basic an issue as poverty has to be re-examined to take into account the psychological sense of deprivation that makes people feel poor.

When you feel helpless, help someone.

There can be no civil peace without the rule of law.

Unless there is free and fair competition, there can't be healthy economic development. And what we have in Burma now is not an open-market economy that allows free and fair competition, but a form of colonialism makes a few people very, very wealthy. It's what you would crony capitalism.

When fear sets in, you don't trust others and when you don't trust anyone then you become selfish.

Fundamental violations of human rights always lead to people feeling less and less human.