Aung San Suu Kyi Quotes

Haitians do not need development programs imposed on them by expatriates. Instead, they need help in developing as self-assured persons.

When charity perpetuates dependency and subordination, it is unjust…. You can help desperately needy people in ways that disempower them and turn them into permanent clients, or you can help them in ways that promote their independence and enable them to help themselves.

Africans… their tired. They’re tired of being the subject of everybody’s charity and care. We are grateful, but we know that we can take charge of our own destinies if we have the will to reform.

The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual.

The idea that somebody else is going to swoop down and play the fairy godmother role is pretty unlikely, so why not take care of yourself?

We want to empower our people; we want to strengthen them; we want to provide them with the kind of qualifications that will enable them to build up their own country themselves.

Our aim is to help the clients help themselves, not to tell them what to think.

My mother often told us that it is a poor dog that will not wag its own tail.

As Aunt Naomi was listing all the things she was going to do to help this person, her friend stopped her in mid-sentence. "Naomi, girl," she said, "you need to resign as general manager of the universe. You need to learn that sometimes the best way to help a person is to let them help themselves. Otherwise, they never learn how. And they are always going to make their problems your problems."

Do for yourself or do without.

When a child is given a little leeway, he will at once shout, "I want to do it!" But in our schools, which have an environment adapted to children's needs, they say, "Help me to do it alone." And these words reveal their inner needs.

Ultimately the greatest help is self-help.

To me, being worth it means being independent and carving your own path. The L'Oreal woman is worth it because she wants to be.

When we launched, we had to figure out every problem - big or small - on our own.

I want to feel like I can take care of myself.

What was really special about 'Hanna' as a character is her pursuit of agency.

We've always been do-it-yourself. In that we've had complete control.

I have that wonderful release of growing up and thinking, 'I can do whatever I want. I can prioritise for myself.'

There's no better way to be than depending on yourself.

Truth is, I'm stronger on my own.

My characters are turned upside down and trying to reinvent themselves but don't need a white knight. They can save themselves in a crisis.

Irish people are pragmatic. They understand that nobody is going to fix our problems but ourselves.

I believe that to get what you want as a woman is to use your brain, to have a job, and to not need someone or have to make decisions based on that.

But all the magic I have known I've had to make myself.

Autonomy is the whole thing; it's what unhappy people are missing. They have given the power to run their lives to other people.