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

Building democracy as an imposition from abroad is a form of imperialism.

He who once became aware of the power of Solidarity and who breathed the air of freedom will not be crushed.

I belong to the generation of workers who, born in the villages and hamlets of rural Poland, had the opportunity to acquire education and find employment in industry, becoming in the course conscious of their rights and importance in society.

Communism prevents organizations from developing by stopping the flow of information. The system is based on police and listening devices and triggers the worst characteristics in humans.

We shall not yield to violence. We shall not be deprived of union freedoms. We shall never agree with sending people to prison for their convictions.

I believed it would succeed. It was Polish Solidarity and its victory that put an end to the old era when what mattered were borders and rival blocs.