I've always said that the more coordinated the efforts of the international community are, the better it will be for democracy in Burma.

In Burma, our main goal in amending the constitution is not to phase out the military from politics. Our main point is to put the constitution in line with international standards and norms.

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.

That's not how politics works - sometimes things move in a rather imperceptible way. There are no fireworks, and then comes a time when change comes unexpectedly. Sometimes change comes with a lot of fireworks, but not always.

It is not power that corrupts but fear.

I was heartened that people everywhere want certain basic freedoms, even if they live in a totally different cultural environment.

My opinion is the greatest reward that any government could get is the approval of the people. If the people are happy and the people are at peace and the government has done something for them, that's the greatest reward I think any government could hope for.