Unless there is free and fair competition, there can't be healthy economic development. And what we have in Burma now is not an open-market economy that allows free and fair competition, but a form of colonialism makes a few people very, very wealthy. It's what you would crony capitalism.

If I advocate cautious optimism it is not because I do not have faith in the future but because I do not want to encourage blind faith.

Peace, development, and justice are all connected to each other. We cannot talk about economic development without talking about peace. How can we expect economic development in a battlefield?

One should mature over 20 years.

I don't think any country can survive as a prosperous and dignified country unless there is rule of law.

Since we live in this world, we have to do our best for this world.

I'm feeling a little delicate.