Millions of people in the world's poorest countries remain enslaved by the chains of poverty. It is time to set them free.

It is not a question of patronizing philanthropy towards disabled people. They do not need the patronage of the non-disabled. It is not for them to adapt to the dominant and dominating world of the so-called non-disabled. It is for us to adapt our understanding of a common humanity; to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse; to recognize the presence of disability in our human midst as an enrichment of our diversity.

As the years progress one increasingly realises the importance of friendship and human solidarity. And if a 90-year-old may offer some unsolicited advice on this occasion, it would be that you, irrespective of your age, should place human solidarity, the concern for the other, at the centre of the values by which you live.

For me, survival is the ability to cope with difficulties, with circumstances, and to overcome them.

For a revolution is not just a question of pulling a trigger; its purpose is to create a fair just society

I really wanted to retire and rest and spend more time with my children, my grandchildren and of course with my wife.

In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.