I realize that the strivings of the Polish people gave rise, and still do so, to the feelings of understanding and solidarity all over the world.

The fall of the Berlin Wall makes for nice pictures. But it all started in the shipyards.

Our national history has so often filled us with bitterness and the feeling of helplessness.

We must be courageous but also reasonable. The world admires us for walking a tightrope without falling off. It asks us to keep our balance.

"It all came from there," Lech Walesa said, pointing to a TV when a reporter asked him why communism fell.

In myself I am nothing. It all comes from God and the Virgin Mary.

One could always do more, faster and cleverer, but democracy has its own rhythm.