I've never thought of myself as being particularly brave - I used to be frightened of the dark when I was small. And I'm not very good with dead rats and things like that. But I face what has to be faced and I hope as best as I'm able.

When you think of Buddhism, you're likely to think of peace and tranquility.

Peace as a goal is an ideal which will not be contested by any government or nation, not even the most belligerent.

I've always said that the most important thing is job creation. Jobs will earn people money and build self-confidence.

I think I was the healthiest prisoner of conscience in the world.

European and American companies companies do create jobs for some people but what they're mainly going to do is make an already wealthy elite wealthier, and increase its greed and strong desire to hang on to power. So immediately and in the long run, these companies - harm the democratic process a great deal.

I don't believe in professional dissidents. I think it's just a phase, like adolescence.