The hope of the nation which throughout the nineteenth century had not for a moment reconciled itself with the loss of independence, and fighting for its own freedom, fought at the same time for the freedom of other nations. – Lech Walesa
You should go to the polls, organize yourself. But once lawmakers are chosen, they must be respected. – Lech Walesa
I’m lazy. But it’s the lazy people who invented the wheel and the bicycle because they didn’t like walking or carrying things. – Lech Walesa
Dictators and oppressors should continue to fear me because I will be here for a long time. – Lech Walesa
I use many different gadgets connected with computers; I use PCs, laptops and a Palm Pilot. I also use the Internet to visit websites, especially within Polish-language Internet. I usually go to political discussion groups and sites – of course, as I use my real name, people never believe that they are chatting with me! – Lech Walesa
As a nation we have the right to decide our own affairs, to mould our own future. This does not pose any danger to anybody. Our nation is fully aware of the responsibility for its own fate in the complicated situation of the contemporary world. – Lech Walesa
I represent the concept that pluralism is essential, union pluralism. I made an oath about this. – Lech Walesa
The defense of our rights and our dignity, as well as efforts never to let ourselves to be overcome by the feeling of hatred – this is the road we have chosen. – Lech Walesa
Communism in Cuba will collapse sooner or later because you can’t control the free flow of information. Communism prevents organizations from developing by stopping the flow of information. The system is based on police and listening devices and triggers the worst characteristics in humans. – Lech Walesa
I most sincerely wish that the world in which we live be free from the threat of a nuclear holocaust and from the ruinous arms race. It is my cherished desire that peace be not separated from freedom which is the right of every nation. This I desire and for this I pray. – Lech Walesa
My youth passed at the time of the country’s reconstruction from the ruins and ashes of the war in which my nation never bowed to the enemy paying the highest price in the struggle. – Lech Walesa
I belong to a nation which over the past centuries has experienced many hardships and reverses. The world reacted with silence or with mere sympathy when Polish frontiers were crossed by invading armies and the sovereign state had to succumb to brutal force. – Lech Walesa
The supply of words in the world market is plentiful but the demand is falling. Let deeds follow words now. – Lech Walesa
Freedom must be gained step by step, slowly. Freedom is a food which must be carefully administered when people are too hungry for it. – Lech Walesa
What until then seemed impossible to achieve has become a fact of life. We have won the right to association in trade unions independent from the authorities, founded and shaped by the working people themselves. – Lech Walesa
Democracy is made up of three elements. One is whether the laws support pluralistic principles. The second is whether the people take advantage of these laws. The third element is whether the peoples’ wallets are thick enough to benefit from this democracy. – Lech Walesa