FRIDAY 5: Nobel Prize Winner’s Inspirational Words

Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her “non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights” on behalf of the people in Burma (also called Myanmar).

But she wasn’t able to accept her prize in-person at the time, because she has spent most of the years since then under house arrest. In fact, it wasn’t until last Saturday that the Burmese opposition leader was finally able to deliver her Nobel acceptance speech.

Here are a few of her inspiring words, including some from her acceptance speech. Which ones do you find the most moving?

ONE: “If you’re feeling helpless, help someone.” To find volunteer opportunities near you, click here.

TWO: “Of the sweets of adversity, and let me say that they are not numerous, I have found the sweetest, the most precious of all, is the lesson I learnt on the value of kindness. Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in our world. To be kind is to respond with sensitivity and human warmth to the hopes and needs of others. Even the briefest touch of kindness can lighten a heavy heart. Kindness can change the lives of people.” For more from her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, click here.

THREE: “We will surely get to our destination if we join hands.” To find out how to get people excited about joining your cause, read our advice.

FOUR: “Ultimately our aim should be to create a world free from the displaced, the homeless and the hopeless, a world of which each and every corner is a true sanctuary where the inhabitants will have the freedom and the capacity to live in peace. Every thought, every word, and every action that adds to the positive and the wholesome is a contribution to peace. Each and every one of us is capable of making such a contribution. Let us join hands to try to create a peaceful world where we can sleep in security and wake in happiness.” To read more about our cause of the month, Refugees International, and what you can do to support displaced people, click here. 

FIVE: “I don’t believe in people just hoping. We work for what we want. I always say that one has no right to hope without endeavor…” Read more inspiring words from Nobel Peace Prize winning women in our article.