A biography for Paul Kagamehasn’t been written yet.
“Some are short, others are tall, others are thin, others are stocky. But we are all human beings. Can we not live together and happily within one border?”
“Such problems are not solved in one day but there is a great step toward peace and security in the region.”
“There are some who are scared by unity and by building a country on the basis of ideas.”
“Africa should not just wait to be exploited or influenced. No. We should be part of the conversation. We should raise ourselves to a level where there are certain terms we dictate in the conversation because we have a lot to offer.”
“Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or a sell-out.”
“I try to look at problems very clearly and think, 'How do we get out of this? What will work? What will be the consequences for the people involved?'”
“The political, the economic, the social are tied together like the strands of a rope. The social and economic, if they are firm, tend to strengthen the other.”
“We must create economic opportunity, build a culture of entrepreneurship, get people to take responsibility for improving their lives, rather than putting them in a position where they sit back in their poverty and blame others for it.”
“Our world faces difficult challenges, but no more so than in the past. Working together in a constructive spirit, we can assure our children the future they deserve.”
“We cannot just be a corridor to smuggle minerals out.”
“I don't think that what we need is an eternal leader.”
“The U.N. must be a good steward of the funds entrusted to it. Abuse and waste are therefore not a mere public relations problem. Institutional reform is not a one-off event, like applying a fresh coat of paint.”
“I'm not British. I'm not American. I'm not French. Whatever thing they practise, that is their business. I am an African. I am Rwandese.”
“You requested me to lead the country again after 2017. Given the importance and consideration you attach to this, I can only accept.”
“I've told Rwandans it's not just what you think of for yourselves, but what others think of us.”
“We cannot turn the clock back nor can we undo the harm caused, but we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again.”
“Nothing would catch me off guard, because I understand the world I live in. I understand it very well. And the world I live in is not necessarily a fair or just world. I have dealt with these injustices for the bigger part of my life.”
“I have no regrets about being who I am and being what I am in my country for my people. No regrets at all.”
“You kept quiet... When these victims wanted your help to survive, you kept quiet.”
“In Africa today, we recognise that trade and investment, and not aid, are pillars of development.”