I do protect human rights, and I hope I shall always be looked up as a champion of human rights.

The important thing is fear should not control your actions. It should not dictate what you do.

The greatest gift for an individual or a nation... was abhaya, fearlessness, not merely bodily courage but absence of fear from the mind.

The act of willingly subtracting from one's own limited store of the good and the agreeable for the sake of adding to that of others reflects the understanding that individual happiness needs a base broader than the mere satisfaction of selfish passions. From there, it is not such a large step to the realization that respecting the susceptibilities and rights of others is as important as defending one's own susceptibilities and rights if civilized society is to be safeguarded.

If you look at the democratic process as a game of chess, there have to be many, many moves before you get to checkmate. And simply because you do not make any checkmate in three moves does not mean it's stalemate. There's a vast difference between no checkmate and stalemate. This is what the democratic process is like.

It is his capacity for self-improvement and self-redemption which most distinguishes man from the mere brute.

The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all.