People ask me about what sacrifices I've made. I always answer: I've made no sacrifices, I've made choices.
Aung San Suu KyiRead
If I was afraid of being killed, I would never speak out against the government.
Interpretation
Courage is essential for speaking out against oppression despite the risks involved.
Aung San Suu Kyi articulates the importance of bravery in the face of fear. Speaking out against authority, especially in oppressive regimes, requires immense courage, and the willingness to confront potential dangers is a vital aspect of advocating for justice and rights.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about civil rights to inspire activism among the audience.
People ask me about what sacrifices I've made. I always answer: I've made no sacrifices, I've made choices.
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.
This was the way I was brought up to think of politics, that politics was to do with ethics, it was to do with responsibility, it was to do with service, so I think I was conditioned to think like that, and I'm too old to change now.
My top priority is for people to understand that they have the power to change things themselves.
If you want to bring an end to long-standing conflict, you have to be prepared to compromise.
Where there is no justice there can be no secure peace.
The decision to relax rather than to grip, even in the face of impatience or fear, is a conscious and brave choice.
While the Japanese droned on in a high-pitched voice, I blinked out the desperate message over and over. TORTURE...TORTURE...
I don't think nations can stand aside for ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Here stands a girl clutching a knife. There is grease on the stove, blood in the air, and angry words piled in the corners. We are trained not to see it, not to see any of it. . . . Someone just ripped off my eyelids.
When I was younger, I was almost too afraid to admit that I wanted to be an actor.
Around us there is the presence of evil. The devil is at work. But in a loud voice I say: GOD IS STRONGER.
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