Ingrid Betancourt

“I think that women are peacemakers by genetics, because we are the ones who stay at home and because we are the ones who suffer with the aftermath of war.”

“I was in chains all the time, 24 hours a day, for three years. I tried to wear those chains with dignity, even if I felt that it was unbearable.”

“When you have a chain around your neck, you have to keep your head down and try to accept your fate without succumbing entirely to humiliation, without forgetting who you are.”

“It's not easy to talk about things that are still hurting.”

“I was forbidden to talk to my fellow hostages.”

“You are a free woman, and then you become a prisoner, and you receive all kinds of orders. Sit here, stand there. That's it. You just, you don't have the possibility of even moving to take your bag without asking for permission.”

“I love Colombia's military. I love my country.”

“Now I realized that life supplies us with everything we need for the journey. Everything I had acquired either actively or passively, everything I had learned either voluntarily or by osmosis, was coming back to me as the real riches of my life, even though I had lost everything.”

“After six years without seeing one, I love just seeing a smile - every smile I see gives me hope.”

“I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can give us is time, because what gives time its value is death.”

“Forgiveness is a very personal and intimate thing. Forgiveness is not something that you can speak for others because it includes not only your desire and will, your reflection and intellect, but also your emotions.”

“Reconciliation is a decision that you take in your heart.”

“In Colombia, women are a huge factor for reconciliation. I have seen many strong women advocating for negotiations. I remember when the paramilitary were active, there were women close to the paramilitary asking for negotiations.”

“Reconciliation is a national decision that has to be debated and a consensus made among Colombians.”

“I didn't want to be a number. I didn't want to be an object.”

“We have to be aware of our fragilities as human beings - when we see cruelty, to understand that in certain conditions, we could be cruel, too.”

“In the jungle, faith also became something very real; it helped me to understand what was happening to me and changed my questions.”

“When you lose your freedom, you are alone with your emotions and reactions... you can see, for example, the bad reactions you have in front of others or the way you could be dismissive or harsh.”

“We're humans. Why always turn human attitude into political behaviours? I hate that.”

“I continue with the illusion of serving Colombia. Only God knows if it were to be from the presidency.”