Quotes from Ashraf Ghani

You cannot have good terrorists and bad terrorists.

You would think that the U.S. government would not think that American firms needed subsidizing to function in developing countries, provide advice, but they do.

If al-Qaida, all apologies to Microsoft for the analogy, is Windows 1, Daish is Windows 5.

Thank God there has been no recurrence of 9/11. It is not because of luck - it is because of mass sacrifice and effort.

If we looked in the world of 1945 and looked at the map of capitalist economies and democratic polities, they were the rare exception, not the norm.

My entire life has been guided by a sense of equality, equality for loved ones.

Self-reliance is not just words, but deeds.

I want to differentiate between stability and security: Stability comes from the hearts of people and acceptance of the judicial system. Security comes from the barrel of a gun and the threat of the use of force.

Pathology by Daesh is distinctively to swallow its opponents, to frighten the population. In that regard, the threat is very real.

I cannot tolerate immorality.

If election is your goal, you're never going to engage in reform. Reform has to be your goal. Election is the means. You run for office in order to do something, not in order to perpetuate yourself.

Crisis for others is a source of despair. For me, it's an opportunity to bring reform.

People are easily shocked when their routine is disrupted and their ease of travel is restricted. We are dealing with a complete new face of terrorism - killing for the sake of killing.

Politicians have become extraordinarily conservative, but our times require imagination and bold action.

President Truman made his name by looking into contracting. And that's how integrity within the military procurement started in the United States.

Afghanistan cannot be a burden on the international community and it has to become an asset.

The key demand for me from the public across the 34 provinces is to transform the state into an instrument of the rule of law, transform the economy into a productive system and change the education system.

Afghanistan's geographical location gives it the opportunity to become one of the biggest transit routes in the region. It can connect Southern, Eastern and Central Asia to the Middle East.

Afghanistan is developing its infrastructure to come up with a new direction of connectivity through energy transmission and modernisation of transport sector in an effort to cater to needs of modern day age.

It's fair to say average Americans think that the average Afghan doesn't want American troops in their country.

We must focus on our biggest enemy, poverty. There is no single-state solution to it, and that is a noble goal.

Afghanistan fortunately is one of the richest countries in terms of water, mineral resources, location and human capital.

Afghanistan has the capacity to become an industrialized country because of its mining and agriculture sectors. We can also create jobs for educated men and women by investing in information technology.

When we get peace in Afghanistan, we'll go to New Zealand to learn best practices for raising sheep. We'll go to Switzerland and study hydroelectric projects.