My dream is to empower myself with education, and then it is a weapon.

When someone takes away your pens you realise quite how important education is.

We are starving for education... it's like a precious gift. It's like a diamond.

My father was convinced the Taliban would hunt him down and kill him, but he again refused security from the police. 'If you go around with a lot of security the Taliban will use Kalashnikovs or suicide bombers and more people will be killed,' he said. 'At least I'll be killed alone.'

The Taliban should keep it in mind that one of us has to die one day. And if I die early, it does not matter. I will continue my campaign and I'm going back to Pakistan as soon as possible. And I want to be a politician. And, through politics, I am going to serve my mission, and I'm going to work for education for every child.

If people were silent, nothing would change.

We have to change this idea that women are only supposed to work in the house... Women should go out and be what they want