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People are fundamentally good. But conditions deteriorate them.

Shirin Ebadi

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Shirin Ebadi
Age: 77
Born: 1947
Born: June 21
Feminist
Human Rights Activist
Judge
Lawyer
Peace Activist
Politician
Writer
Hamedan
Cyrine Abadi
Fundamentally
Conditions
Good
People
Deteriorate

More quotes by Shirin Ebadi

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When more and more people want something, it becomes easier to achieve that goal.
Shirin Ebadi
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Sixty-three percent of our university students are female. But you still see violations of women's rights in Iran. A Muslim man can have up to four wives. He can divorce his wife without offering any reason, while it is quite difficult for a woman to get a divorce.
Shirin Ebadi
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There is a verse [in the Koran] that says God swears by time. Anything you gain in life, you pay for with your time. Time is the most important thing that has been given to man.
Shirin Ebadi
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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.
Shirin Ebadi
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I know of no civilization that tolerates or justifies violence, terrorism, or injustice. There is no civilization that justifies the killing of innocent people. Those who are invoking cultural relativism are really using that as an excuse for violating human rights and to put a cultural mask on the face of what they're doing.
Shirin Ebadi
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Certainly, the fight against terrorism is a legitimate fight. And certainly whoever commits terrorism should be brought to justice.
Shirin Ebadi
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When there is enough oxygen in the air for everyone, no one is going to take to violence in order to access it. But if there were not enough of it for everyone then people would result to violence in order to get it. Therefore we have to improve the conditions to have better human beings.
Shirin Ebadi
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Human rights is the fruit of various civilizations.
Shirin Ebadi
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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.
Shirin Ebadi
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The younger generation is essentially idealistic. This applies to the Iranian youth as well. In addition, the youth in Iran face certain difficulties... the Iranian youth need more freedom. They are struggling for more freedom and democracy. This commands great respect.
Shirin Ebadi
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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.
Shirin Ebadi
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The international community can't trust such a government. If the government of Iran wants the international community to believe in what it says, it should try to bring true, pure democracy into the country. The political solution to the energy issue or the nuclear case is democracy in Iran.
Shirin Ebadi
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How can you defy fear? Fear is a human instinct, just like hunger. Whether you like it or not, you become hungry. Similarly with fear. But I have learned to train myself to live with this fear.
Shirin Ebadi
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democracy ... is not something that occurs overnight. It is not a gift delivered on a golden tray. Democracy is a long process of fighting, challenging accepted ideas, and perpetually striving for freedom. Like a seed that has to be watered every day to become a flower, democracy needs constant attention and care.
Shirin Ebadi
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Terrorism is based on two major pillars: One is injustice, and the other is a certainty of attitude, the notion that their version of the story is the correct one.
Shirin Ebadi
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I am the voice of the people in Iran whose voices are silent and whose demands cannot be heard by the rest of the world.
Shirin Ebadi
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No government can make me wear a veil, no government can force me not to wear it either
Shirin Ebadi
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There is no true Islam, just different interpretations.
Shirin Ebadi
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It is totally unacceptable for a government to interfere in the internal affairs of another government and send aid, money, and weapons, to the people who are against a certain regime in another country.
Shirin Ebadi
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Iran is a rich country, and if the people of this country are poor, it's because of the wrong policies of the government.
Shirin Ebadi