To understand my feelings — and my conception of the role of Secretary General — the nature of my religious and cultural background must first be understood. I should therefore like to outline not only my beliefs but also my conception of human institutions and of the human situation itself.

The concept of peaceful coexistence has been criticized by many who do not see the need to make the world safe for diversity. I wonder if they have ever paused to ask themselves the question: What is the alternative to coexistence?

Governments, systems, ideologies come and go, but it is humanity which remains.

As a Buddhist, I was trained to be tolerant of everything except intolerance. I was brought up not only to develop the spirit of tolerance but also to cherish moral and spiritual qualities such as modesty, humility, compassion, and, most important, to attain a certain degree of emotional equilibrium.

As a Buddhist, I was trained to be tolerant of everything except intolerance

Wars begin in the minds of men, and in those minds, love andcompassion would have built the defenses of peace.

The single most important impediment to global institutions is the concept of "my country, right or wrong".