Good Quotes —— The Wit and Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew (1)

The Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and the French, they came to Southeast Asia and divided it up among themselves, much in the fashion of modern gangsters who demarcate their respective territorial jurisdictions over a city.―――On Colonialism

[I]t used to be believed that independence was an automatic solution to all men’s ills and that with independence would come prosperity and glory. The need for a sound administration and an economy that ticks was never thought of by anyone other than the few who had to govern.―――On Colonialism

What has happened is irreversible, and the choice before each of us is what to make of the future, not how to re-live the past.―――On Colonialism

If we want to know what is going to happen in the future, we must know what are the forces at work. And having decided our position, we then try and work these forces in our favour.―――On the Future

Singapore…services the needs of the international community and if those needs change either because technology has changed or worse, because the political and security set-up is adverse for development in this region, we will shrivel on the vine. You look at Venice. The Ottoman Empire came. The Silk Road became impassable, ships went round the Cape. Venice declined.―――On the Future

Politics is about human beings and their lives. It is an art, not a science. It is the art of the possible.―――On Politics

Those without this indomitable fighting spirit had better go and sell stocks and shares. This task [politics] is not for the faint-hearted. It is for people with deep and abiding convictions.―――On Politics

Good Quotes —— One Man's View of the World (4)

You accept the world as it is, and find the best way of maximizing your fortunes as a society, or you are left behind by the relentless pace of change found everywhere else. The world cannot possibly stop spinning for your sake.———Global Economy: What Next?

While it may be true that technological advances can improve our capacity for food production and our ability to house more people in compact spaces, at some point we will surely reach a limit. The earth can only hold so many people without serious damage to our habitat and to biodiversity. How do we put a stop to the relentless growth? The key, in my view, lies in educating women – which causes them to want fewer children. The sooner we are able to do this, the sooner we will have a less populated world.———Energy and Climate Change: Preparing for the Worst

[I]t may be wiser for countries to devote time and energy to bracing themselves for the human catastrophe that would probably hit us in a matter of decades, instead of getting others to cut emissions.———Energy and Climate Change: Preparing for the Worst

Eliminating subsidies – and, indeed, possibly even taxing fuel use to reflect its true costs to the rest of society – would therefore be the right thing to do both economically and for the sake of the environment.———Energy and Climate Change: Preparing for the Worst

Until [global warming] hits you, it is merely a theoretical problem.———Energy and Climate Change: Preparing for the Worst

Is heaven such a large and limitless space that you can keep all the peoples of the world over the thousands of years past? I have a large question mark on that.———Personal Life: Choosing When to Go

A politician just wants to publicise himself and get into office, and he enjoys the pride of being there. A leader has a mission. You seek power because you want to do certain things. A statesman is one who has not only sought power and done those things but is able to hand over to a good successor.———Conversations with an Old Friend