I don't think of myself as unbreakable. Perhaps I'm just rather flexible and adaptable.

Lasting solutions are always difficult to come to. But they will have to persevere. I've been repeating ad nauseam that we in Burma we are weak with regard to the culture of negotiated compromises, that we have to develop the ability to achieve such compromises.

I think, if you have enough inner resources, then you can live in isolation for long periods of time and not feel diminished by it.

It is incorrect to say there have been no reforms at all in Burma; there have of course been reforms, but we still need to do more for the people. To become a democratic society we have to continually be reforming.

Fear is not the natural state of civilized people.

Every government must consider the security of the country. That is just part of the responsibilities of any government. But true security can only come out of unity within a country where there are so many ethnic nationalities.

The people of my country want the two freedoms that spell security: freedom from want and freedom from fear.