Thomas Kyd's Quotes

I wish people wouldn't think of me as a saint - unless they agree with the definition of a saint that a saint's a sinner who goes on trying.

If you choose to do something, then you shouldn't say it's a sacrifice, because nobody forced you to do it.

If you do nothing you get nothing.

When you decide to follow a certain path, you should follow it to the end and not be diverted from it for personal reasons.

Human beings want to be free and however long they may agree to stay locked up, to stay oppressed, there will come a time when they say 'That's it.' Suddenly they find themselves doing something that they never would have thought they would be doing, simply because of the human instinct that makes them turn their face towards freedom.

After all it was my father who founded the Burmese army and I do have a sense of warmth towards the Burmese army.

Assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN isn't going to do anything about improving the lives of people.

Dissidents can't be dissidents forever; we are dissidents because we don't want to be dissidents.

I am not unaware of the saying that more tears have been shed over wishes granted than wishes denied.

I could listen to the radio and I had access to books from time to time. Not all the time.

I don't believe in professional dissidents. I think it's just a phase, like adolescence.

I don't think I have achieved anything that I can really be proud of.

I don't understand why people say that I am full of courage. I feel terribly nervous.

I don't want to see the military falling. I want to see the military rising to dignified heights of professionalism and true patriotism.

I feel that the BBC World Service is not as versatile as it used to be - or perhaps I'm not listening at the right times.

I felt that it was my duty not to senselessly waste my time. And since I didn't want to waste my time, I tried to accomplish as much as possible.

I haven't heard any music on the BBC World Service in a long time. Maybe I'm listening at the wrong times. But not one single piece of music.

I knew some of the army quite well.

I only used a cell phone for the first time after I was released. I had difficulty coping with it because it seemed so small and insubstantial.

I think sometimes if you are alone, you are freer because your time is your own.

I think when the people in Burma stop thinking about whether or not they're free, it'll mean that they're free.

I was a bit of a coward when I was small. I was terribly frightened of the dark.

I was heartened that people everywhere want certain basic freedoms, even if they live in a totally different cultural environment.

I would like to have seen my sons growing up.

I'm feeling a little delicate.

I'm rather inclined to liking people.

I've always said that the more coordinated the efforts of the international community are, the better it will be for democracy in Burma.

If I was afraid of being killed, I would never speak out against the government.

If I were the blushing kind, I would blush to be called a hero.

In general people feel more relaxed about participating in politics. They aren't frightened as they used to be.

In politics, you also have to be cautiously optimistic.

In terms of the history of a far reaching movement, 20 years is not that long.

It could achieve a lot if everyone in Burma could stop saying something is good if it is not good, or say something is just if it is not just.

It doesn't seem right for anybody to get so much attention.

Maybe it is something to do with age, but I have become fonder of poetry than of prose.

My attitude is, do as much as I can while I'm free. And if I'm arrested I'll still do as much as I can.

Of course I regret not having been able to spend time with my family.

One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing genuine democracy to a country.

One should mature over 20 years.

One wants to be together with one's family. That's what families are about.

People keep saying I've changed. I used to be confrontational. But I'm - I haven't changed. It was - it's just that circumstances have changed.

People must work in unison.

Sanctions are not really an economic weapon.

Suffering degrades, embitters and enrages.

The best way to help Burma is to empower the people of Burma, to help us have enough self-confidence to obtain what we want for ourselves.

The judiciary in Burma is not independent. It's widely known, everybody knows that.

The Nobel Peace Prize opened up a door in my heart.

War is not the only arena where peace is done to death.

What does Burma have to give the United States? We can give you the opportunity to engage with people who are ready and willing to change a society.

When I was under house arrest, it was the BBC that spoke to me - I listened.

When the Nobel Committee chose to honor me, the road I had chosen of my own free will became a less lonely path to follow.

With the right kind of institutions, starting with the rule of law, Burma could progress very quickly.

You cannot compromise unless people talk to you.

My opinion is the greatest reward that any government could get is the approval of the people. If the people are happy and the people are at peace and the government has done something for them, that's the greatest reward I think any government could hope for.

I learned to work on a computer years before I was placed under house arrest. Fortunately I had two laptops when I was under house arrest - one an Apple and one a different operating system. I was very proud of that because I know how to use both systems.

I'm not the only one working for democracy in Burma - there are so many people who have worked for it because they believe that this is the only way we can maintain the dignity of our people.

More people, especially young people, are realising that if they want change, they've got to go about it themselves - they can't depend on a particular person, i.e. me, to do all the work. They are less easy to fool than they used to be, they now know what's going on all over the world.

Sometimes I think that a parody of democracy could be more dangerous than a blatant dictatorship, because that gives people an opportunity to avoid doing anything about it.

Human beings the world over need freedom and security that they may be able to realize their full potential.

Peace as a goal is an ideal which will not be contested by any government or nation, not even the most belligerent.

Humor is one of the best ingredients of survival.

I think I should be active politically. Because I look upon myself as a politician. That's not a dirty work you know. Some people think that there are something wrong with politicians. Of course, something wrong with some politicians.

My attitude to peace is rather based on the Burmese definition of peace - it really means removing all the negative factors that destroy peace in this world. So peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or to war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as inequality, poverty.

Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.

If I advocate cautious optimism it is not because I do not have faith in the future but because I do not want to encourage blind faith.

It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.

The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity. It is a struggle that encompasses our political, social and economic aspirations.

There is a time to be quiet and a time to talk.

The value systems of those with access to power and of those far removed from such access cannot be the same. The viewpoint of the privileged is unlike that of the underprivileged.

The democracy process provides for political and social change without violence.

By helping others, you will learn how to help yourselves.

Democracy is when the people keep a government in check.

For me, 'revolution' simply means radical change.

I do not hold to non-violence for moral reasons, but for political and practical reasons.

I've always tried to explain democracy is not perfect. But it gives you a chance to shape your own destiny.

I don't think of myself as unbreakable. Perhaps I'm just rather flexible and adaptable.

The history of the world shows that peoples and societies do not have to pass through a fixed series of stages in the course of development.