The history of the world shows that peoples and societies do not have to pass through a fixed series of stages in the course of development.

Human rights and rule of law are inseparably connected.

Burma is not yet a full-fledged democracy. We have started working on the road to full democracy. We have a lot of things to do in order to build a democratic structure and to be become a full-fledged democracy.

What does Burma have to give the United States? We can give you the opportunity to engage with people who are ready and willing to change a society.

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.

Assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN isn't going to do anything about improving the lives of people.

I only used a cell phone for the first time after I was released. I had difficulty coping with it because it seemed so small and insubstantial.