Top 142 Quotes & Sayings by Mohamed ElBaradei

As long as some of us choose to rely on nuclear weapons, we continue to risk that these same weapons will become increasingly attractive to others.

I think it is fair to say that it is under a great deal of stress, and if I am asking for significant changes, it is because the world is going through significant changes.

Democracy is not an instant coffee.

We now have the right to have immediate, unfettered access to any site in Iraq and we have the right to interview people, both inside and outside Iraq.

Well, first of all, we now have everybody with the exception of India, Pakistan, and Israel, and I don't think these three countries are going to join by simply providing them an incentive, in terms of technology.

People feel repressed by their own governments; they feel unfairly treated by the outside world; they wake up in the morning, and who do they see - they see people being shot and killed: all Muslims from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Darfur.

Psychology is as important as substance. If you treat people with respect, they will go out of their way to accommodate you. If you treat them in a patronizing way, they will go out of their way to make your life difficult.

America is always a good target for a populist. In many countries, particularly authoritarian systems, if you want to get an extra bonus, you bash the Americans.

You either have a civil society or you don't.

We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction, yet morally acceptable for others to rely on them for security - and indeed to continue to refine their capacities and postulate plans for their use.

The Nobel Peace Prize is a powerful message. A durable peace is not a single achievement, but an environment, a process and a commitment.

You don't get the fox to be in charge of the chicken coop. You don't give the outgoing regime - which has been practicing dictatorship, is an authoritarian system, it's a bunch of military people - the task of changing Egypt into a second republic, a new Egypt with democracy, freedom, rights, etc.

How can you run for president if you don't know the job description?

In my view, stability only comes with a government that is elected by the people and works for the people.

If you bet on individuals instead of the people, you are going to fail.

When I go to Iran, I see... that there are all different shades and colors in Iran, from atheist to religious zealot. So Iran is no different than any other country. I mean, they are connected with the rest of the world.

I'm used to politics at an international level: people put together an argument and, even if you vehemently disagree with them, well, you can recognise it's an argument and respond.

My conscience does not permit me to run for the presidency or any other official position unless it is within a democratic framework.

If a huge number of people call for change, the government will have to react. If you want to avoid uprisings, or demonstrations, you need to respond to the people's desperate need for change.

I think people are distrustful of politicians and are looking for someone who is telling the truth with no hidden agenda.

I still believe that any country understands that if they use nuclear weapons, they will be wiped out of existence. They could be irrational in many ways, but I don't think they're irrational to the point that they're ready to annihilate their own country.

Democracy is more than a ballot box.

Even with the best intentions, you can have a nuclear war, a nuclear holocaust, through miscalculation, through accidents.

Unilateral preemption should not in any way be the model for how we conduct international relations.

If Egypt were going to change, it is going to change through the young people.

If you have nothing to hide, there is no reason not to be transparent.

My father taught me that you have to stand by your principles.

Nuclear proliferation is on the rise. Equipment, material and training were once largely inaccessible. Today, however, there is a sophisticated worldwide network that can deliver systems for producing material usable in weapons.

Countries that perceive themselves to be vulnerable can be expected to try to redress that vulnerability - and in some cases, they will pursue clandestine weapons programs.

The Israelis should understand that it is in their long-term interest to have a democratic Egypt as a neighbor, and that it is prudent to acknowledge the legitimate interests of the Palestinians and to grant them their own state.

What I see in the Arab world, in Egypt, everywhere is increasing radicalization.

So, we need to delegitimize the nuclear weapon, and by de-legitimizing... meaning trying to develop a different system of security that does not depend on nuclear deterrence.

All I know is, I think I would like to continue to do public service.

I hope everybody will go back to the negotiating table. I've always said this is the only way forward.

We continue to have nuclear weapons relied on as a weapon of choice. If that policy were to continue, we continue to have countries who are in a security bind, if you like, or perceive themselves to be in security bind to look for acquisition of nuclear weapons.

The gap between rich and poor is widening dramatically. There's a hangar at the Cairo airport for private jets, billionaires are on the Forbes list, and Egypt's annual per-capita income is two thousand dollars. How can you sustain that?

I am an Egyptian Muslim, educated in Cairo and New York, and now living in Vienna. My wife and I have spent half our lives in the North, half in the South. And we have experienced first hand the unique nature of the human family and the common values we all share.

Sanctions are a bad idea.

I hear that from so many different governments, people coming to me and saying, 'You should be careful'. But I don't want to go around with bodyguards.

The time is right for a political solution and the way is negotiations.

It's up to any government to decide how to react to the denial of basic human rights anywhere in the world, including Egypt.

Egypt under Hosni Mubarak had deteriorated to the status of a failed state. We must wipe the slate clean and start again.

The sooner we put Egypt on the right track, the sooner we would be able to have an Egypt that is modern, that is moderate, and that is acting as a beacon for freedom and liberty across the Arab world.

People talk about smart sanctions and crippling sanctions. I've never seen smart sanctions, and crippling sanctions cripple everyone, including innocent civilians, and make the government more popular.

Challenging the integrity of the non-proliferation regime is a matter which can affect international peace and security.

I'm a lawyer. I go for due process; I go for fairness and equity - these values mean a lot to me.

I think we still have a chance if we continue with our work, if Iraq provides full cooperation, we should still be able to avoid a war.

The Egyptians have grown in confidence, they've tasted freedom, and there's no way back.

We still live in a world where if you have nuclear weapons, you are buying power; you are buying insurance against attack.

Iran's goal is not to become another North Korea - a nuclear weapons possessor but a pariah in the international community - but rather Brazil or Japan, a technological powerhouse with the capacity to develop nuclear weapons if the political winds were to shift, while remaining a nonnuclear weapons state.

It is going to take a long time to switch Egypt into a democracy.

I do not want to see the whole Egyptian people feel protected by my presence. They really have to fight for their freedom whether I'm there or not.

I think one country with nuclear weapons is one country too many.

Well, I think we still have to verify whatever declaration we will get and make sure that it is comprehensive and accurate. So, that would take care of the past activities.

I cannot bear the responsibility for one drop of blood.

Discipline is part of my professional training as a lawyer.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a religiously conservative group. They are a minority in Egypt. They are not a majority of the Egyptian people, but they have a lot of credibility because all the other liberal parties have been smothered for 30 years.

I couldn't have imagined that I would live long enough to see Egypt emancipated from decades of repression.

Everybody has to chip in, I think, and see how we can have a functioning system of collective security where we do not continue to face the threat of countries trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction or particularly nuclear weapons.

Only if you empower the liberals, if you empower the moderate socialists, if you empower all factions of society, only then will extremists be marginalised.