Quotes from Shirin Ebadi

What is important is that one utilizes one's intellect and not to be 100 percent sure about one's convictions. One should always leave room for doubt.

Women are the victims of this patriarchal culture, but they are also its carriers. Let us keep in mind that every oppressive man was raised in the confines of his mother's home.

The Iranian government intends to use the nuclear program for peaceful purposes, but must convince international public opinion of that.

My aim is to show that those governments that violate the rights of people by invoking the name of Islam have been misusing Islam.

No American soldier should be allowed to set foot on Iranian soil, regardless of the criticism we have of the Iranian government.

Iran is a rich country, and if the people of this country are poor, it's because of the wrong policies of the government.

No government can make me wear a veil, no government can force me not to wear it either

It's not just about hope and ideas. It's about action.

I hope the example of Saddam Hussein will give a lesson to leaders of other countries where human rights are not respected.

We must not enable anyone to impose his personal view regarding religion on others by force, oppression, or pressure.

When you vote, vote for those who are not warmongers, and vote for those who respect human rights. When you see a president who doesn't respect human rights, don't vote for that person.

Democracy doesn't recognize east or west; democracy is simply people's will. Therefore, I do not acknowledge that there are various models of democracy; there is just democracy itself.

I have never been convinced throughout my life that one needs to be imitating others. I even tell my daughters not to look at me as a model.

Sadly the job security of lawyers has been ruined, so they are less willing to defend political defendants.

Everyone's condition is different, and the way that each person lives his or her life is different.

Usually, in any revolution people are focused on who wants to have the most power. But the most important thing is the laws that are written during that time.

Maybe the words are the same, but the time is not the same. Iranians weren't working on achieving nuclear energy.

I maintain that nothing useful and lasting can emerge from violence.

The idea of cultural relativism is nothing but an excuse to violate human rights.

The condition of women in Islamic societies as a whole is also far from desirable. However, we should acknowledge that there are differences. In certain countries, the conditions are much better and in others much worse.

Human rights is a universal standard. It is a component of every religion and every civilization.

Women are the victims of this patriarchal culture, but they are also its carriers. Let us keep in mind that every oppressive man was raised in the confines of his mother's home.

We must not enable anyone to impose his personal view regarding religion on others by force, oppression, or pressure.

When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp. The funny thing is that human rights activists and Mr. Bush can never be situated in the same group.