Shirin Ebadi People Quotations

The people are fed up with corruption and embezzlement. They object to censorship. The first thing that the people of Iran want is free elections.

The role of Iran has been very destructive. As an Iranian, I apologize to the civilian people of Syria who have been killed as a result of the useless intervention of Iran in Syria.

We shouldn't just consider the desire of government to do what it wants to do. We should always consider the resistance of people. The culture of Iranian people doesn't let the government drag people into deep trouble or backlash. Maybe government wants it, but the culture doesn't let it go on.

Usually, in any revolution people are focused on who wants to have the most power. But the most important thing is the laws that are written during that time.

We must acquaint the youth to the realities of the world... we must tell them that millions of people around the world have no access to drinking water.

I know of no civilization that tolerates or justifies violence, terrorism, or injustice. There is no civilization that justifies the killing of innocent people. Those who are invoking cultural relativism are really using that as an excuse for violating human rights and to put a cultural mask on the face of what they're doing.

When more and more people want something, it becomes easier to achieve that goal.

Democracy doesn't recognize east or west; democracy is simply people's will. Therefore, I do not acknowledge that there are various models of democracy; there is just democracy itself.

Europe clearly is the only place where people can speak up critically, and this is a unique cultural value.

It is totally unacceptable for a government to interfere in the internal affairs of another government and send aid, money, and weapons, to the people who are against a certain regime in another country.

While living in exile I have become the loudspeaker for the people of Iran.

I am the voice of the people in Iran whose voices are silent and whose demands cannot be heard by the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, violence begets violence. And this is how the war on terrorism seems to be going at this juncture. A lot of people are losing their lives. Many children are losing their parents. Too many houses are being destroyed. And, unfortunately, the arms industry seems to flourish.

People are fundamentally good. But conditions deteriorate them.

We demand a non-violent world where human security is the basis of our common global security. People have the right to live in a world where the basic needs of all peoples are addressed. No more military attacks. No more war.

I have said many times that I wish there was no oil in the Middle East, and more water. People would have been much happier than they are.