Quotes from Ko Wen-je

Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.

With more than two million Taiwanese living on the mainland and some 400,000 mainland Chinese in Taiwan, plus several million mainlanders visiting Taiwan, the two sides must further boost their interactions and relations.

The country has been shaken up by me. I am just being myself.

Whatever I do, if people see me in a certain light, then they will always judge me in that light. Their impressions and perceptions will never change.

Politics isn't that difficult; it is about finding your conscience again. So, just do what is right.

Cooperation is more important than reunification. If reunification is achieved without cooperation, it will be meaningless.

For the world's four Chinese-speaking regions - Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China - the longer the colonization, the more advanced a place is.

People movements have heralded a new era of Taiwan politics.

Relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are like those of a family.

Singapore is better than Hong Kong; Hong Kong is better than Taiwan; Taiwan is better than the mainland. I'm speaking in terms of culture.

We have to convince mainland China that a free and democratic Taiwan is more in China's interest than reunification.

When we understand and respect Beijing's insistence on some aspects, we hope Beijing can understand and respect Taiwan's insistence on democracy and freedom.

Taiwan isn't ruled by rule of law. Taiwan is a country of liars and fraudsters. Our politicians are full of lies. They change their position from one day to the next.

What matters is the well-being of the people.

In our society, no one dares to be themselves.

It seems like everybody is forcing me to run for president.

Nobody knows this, but my hero is Che Guevara. Why? Because he was magic. He was a hero. Che resisted. He fought against the system.

The longer a region is in contact with modern civilization, the higher the degree to which the society in the region is civilized.

The area I hope we can learn most from Singapore is in the productivity and efficiency of its public servants.

Cross-strait engagement must be consistent and guided by a stable policy with respect for past interaction and agreements signed by the two sides.

The rise of civic society is not a negation of politics, but marks an opportunity for the involvement of the people.

We are nicer to Muslims than any other country.

There's nothing wrong with officials taking the subway. Why is this unusual? So people talked about 'one country, two systems,' but maybe we should talk about 'two countries, one system' instead. We should try to narrow the gap.

You have to go to other countries to realize Taipei is a place where there is diversity of thought.