One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing genuine democracy to a country.

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.

The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear

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

After all it was my father who founded the Burmese army and I do have a sense of warmth towards the Burmese army.

Burmese political culture lacks an understanding of negotiated compromise. We have to build up that kind of culture.

People should be concerned about installing a more sensible, responsible government. What we [the burmese] need is a government that is accountable and transparent, so that the people know what it is doing and can judge for themselves whether or not they like what is being done.