"A commitment to human rights cannot be fostered simply through the transmission of knowledge. Action and experience play a crucial role in the learning process."

"Leadership that exploits and sacrifices young people on the altar of its goals is nothing more than raw, demonic power. Genuine leadership is found in ceaseless efforts to foster young people, to pave the way forward for them."

"All people have a natural desire to be needed, to have their importance to others tangibly confirmed."

"The effects of human rights education can be dramatic in awakening people to the value and power of their own lives, as shown in the following stories."

"Leave behind the passive dreaming of a rose-tinted future. The energy of happiness exists in living today with roots sunk firmly in reality's soil."

"Where there is an absence of international political leadership, civil society should step in to fill the gap, providing the energy and vision needed to move the world in a new and better direction."

"Divorced from the cosmos, from nature, from society and from each other, we have become fractured and fragmented."

"Poems and songs penned as an unstoppable outpouring of the heart take on a life of their own. They transcend the limits of nationality and time as they pass from person to person, from one heart to another."

"Having lived through the transition from totalitarianism, I am acutely mindful of the need to never take for granted the basic freedoms of thought, expression and belief that democracy brings."

"But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress."

"The idea of interdependence is central to Buddhism, which holds that all things come into being through the mutual interactions of various causes and conditions."

"The wisdom and experience of older people is a resource of inestimable worth. Recognizing and treasuring the contributions of older people is essential to the long-term flourishing of any society."

"A genuinely happy person is one who has rendered others happy."

"No one is born hating others."

"I have for some time urged that a nuclear abolition summit to mark the effective end of the nuclear era be convened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 70th anniversary of the bombings of those cities, with the participation of national leaders and representatives of global civil society."

"I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind."

"History is filled with tragic examples of wars that result from diplomatic impasse. Whether in our local communities or in international relations, the skillful use of our communicative capacities to negotiate and resolve differences is the first evidence of human wisdom."

"It is only through such real-life daily struggles and challenges that a genuine sensitivity to human rights can be inculcated. This is a truth that is not limited to school education: it applies to all of us."

"Human rights will be a powerful force for the transformation of reality when they are not simply understood as externally defined norms of behavior but are lived as the spontaneous manifestation of internalized values."

"But I believe we must not allow feelings of defeat to take root in our hearts."

"No one should be left to suffer alone."

"We must take steps to prevent further nuclear weapons development or modernization."

"A person, who no matter how desperate the situation, gives others hope, is a true leader."

"I believe that we must maintain pride in the knowledge that the actions we take, based on our own decisions and choices as individuals, link directly to the magnificent challenge of transforming human history."

"Humanity has experienced many revolutionary changes over the course of history: revolutions in agriculture, in science, industrial production, as well as numerous political revolutions. But these have all been limited to the external aspects of our individual and collective lives."

"A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind."

"Ultimately, all human activities have as their goal the realization of happiness. Why, then, have we ended up producing the opposite result? Could the underlying cause be our failure to correctly understand the true nature of happiness?"

"The gratification of desire is not happiness."

"The problems of aging present an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual."

"Faced with stress, too many people feel they have nowhere to turn to, that they don't have access to the kind of friendships or communities where they can easily and openly share their problems and worries."

"Living here on Earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born."

"It is much more valuable to look for the strength in others. You can gain nothing by criticizing their imperfections."

"Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others."

"People need to be made conscious of a very simple reality: we have no choice but to share this planet, this small blue sphere floating in the vast reaches of space, with all of our fellow 'passengers.'"

"Rather than turning away from the staggering scale and depth of misery caused by war, we must strive to develop our capacity to empathize and feel the sufferings of others."

"Men and women who know the brutal reality of war, who know that war strips people of their very humanity, must unite in a new global partnership for peace."

"Likewise, education can direct people toward good or evil ends. When education is based on a fundamentally distorted worldview, the results are horrific."

"Since ancient times, people from throughout Asia have brought to Japan their talents, knowledge and energy, helping to lay the basis for Japan's existence as a country."

"When human beings live together, conflict is inevitable. War is not."

"I cannot say this too strongly: Do not compare yourselves to others. Be true to who you are, and continue to learn with all your might."

"Extreme poverty threatens people's right to life itself and makes impossible the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms essential to a humane way of life."

"No one can live entirely on their own, nor can any country or society exist in isolation."

"It is crucial that we develop real awareness of ourselves as citizens of Earth, linked by mutual and indissoluble bonds. When we clearly recognize this reality and ground ourselves in it, we are compelled to take a strict accounting of our way of life."

"Rise to the challenges that life presents you. You can't develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle."

"Self-centered anger generates evil, but wrath at social injustice becomes the driving force for reform. Strong language that censures and combats a great evil often awakens adverse reactions from society, but this must not intimidate those who believe they are right. A lion is a lion because he roars."

"Whatever your circumstances, whatever your past, the forces that determine your future are nowhere but within your own heart and mind. It is here that the star of your destiny shines."

"What may look like a small act of courage is courage nevertheless. The important thing is to be willing to take a step forward."

"The heart is what is important." There is nothing more vulnerable, nothing more corruptible than the human mind; nor is there anything as powerful, steadfast and ennobling."

"I can do more. I can grow. I can become a bigger and better human being."

"The darker the night, the nearer the dawn. Victory in life is decided by that last concentrated burst of energy filled with the resolve to win."