66 Quotes by Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto, an extraordinary leader and politician, made history as the first woman to lead a Muslim-majority country, serving as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Born into a political family, Bhutto's commitment to democracy, social justice, and women's rights propelled her to become an influential figure in Pakistani politics.
Despite facing personal and political challenges, Bhutto demonstrated immense courage and determination, advocating for democratic reforms and championing the rights of marginalized communities. Her leadership and vision helped shape the political landscape of Pakistan, inspiring generations of women and serving as a symbol of hope and empowerment.
Tragically, Bhutto's life was cut short when she was assassinated in 2007, but her legacy as a trailblazing leader and an unwavering advocate for democracy and human rights lives on.
Benazir Bhutto's remarkable contributions to politics and her unwavering commitment to social justice make her an icon of courage and resilience, reminding us of the transformative power of leadership and the lasting impact one individual can have on a nation.
Benazir Bhutto Quotes
You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea.
Being nice should never be perceived as being weak. It's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of courtesy, manners, grace, a woman's ability to make everyone...feel at home, and it should never be construed as weakness.
Democracy needs support and the best support for democracy comes from other democracies. Democratic nations should come together in an association designed to help each other and promote what is a universal value - democracy.
I dream of a world where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction
The best hijab is in the eyes of the beholder.
Freedom is not an end. Freedom is a beginning. (Meaning)
Clearly it's not easy for woman in modern society, no matter where we live. We still have to go extra mile to prove that we are equal to men. We have to work longer hours and make more sacrifices. And we must emotionally protect ourselves from unfair, often vicious attacks made on us.
In distinguishing between Islamic teachings and social taboos, we must remember that Islam forbids injustice; Injustice against people, against nations, against women. It shuns race, color, and gender as a basis of distinction amongst fellowmen. It enshrines piety as the sole criteria for judging humankind.
A people inspired by democracy, human rights and economic opportunity will turn their back decisively against extremism.
Pursuing peace means rising above one's own wants, needs, and emotions.
Whatever my aims and agendas were, I never asked for power.
Democracy is necessary to peace and to undermining the forces of terrorism.
Ultimately, leadership is about the strength of one's convictions, the ability to endure the punches, and the energy to promote an idea. And I have found that those who do achieve peace never acquiesce to obstacles, especially those constructed of bigotry, intolerance, and inflexible tradition.
Extremism can flourish only in an environment where basic governmental social responsibility for the welfare of the people is neglected. Political dictatorship and social hopelessness create the desperation that fuels religious extremism.
Democracy is the best revenge.
The people who resent me do so because I'm a woman, I'm young, and I'm a Bhutto. Well, the simple answer is, it doesn't matter that I'm a woman, it doesn't matter that I'm young, and it's a matter of pride that I'm a Bhutto.
It's quite difficult for me not to be able to return to my country, but in my country justice has been murdered.
To make peace, one must be an uncompromising leader. To make peace, one must also embody compromise.
Every dictator uses religion as a prop to keep himself in power.
I don't fear death. I remember my last meeting with my father when he told me, "You know, tonight when I will be killed, my mother and my father will be waiting for me." It makes me weepy but I don't think it can happen unless God wants it to happen because so many people have tried to kill me.
Bhutto represents everything the fundamentalists hate - a powerful, highly-educated woman operating in a man's world, seemingly unafraid to voice her independent views and, indeed, seemingly unafraid of anything, including the very real possibility that one day someone might succeed in killing her because of who she is.
I am planning to return and contest the October elections in Pakistan.
No, I am not pregnant. I am fat. And, as the Prime Minister, its my right to be fat if I want to.
We learned at an early age that it was men's interpretation of our religion that restricted women's opportunities, not our religion itself. Islam in fact had been quite progressive toward women from its inception.
As a woman leader, I thought I brought a different kind of leadership. I was interested in women's issues, in bringing down the population growth rate... as a woman, I entered politics with an additional dimension - that of a mother.
The government I led gave ordinary people peace, security, dignity, and opportunity to progress.
Political dictatorship and social hopelessness create the desperation that fuels religious extremism.
America's greatest contribution to the world is its concept of democracy, its concept of freedom, freedom of action, freedom of speech, and freedom of thought.
The United Nations charter gives every nation the right to self defence, therefore when the American embassies were bombed it was a matter of time before the Americans responded by going for what they suspected were the causes of the attack.
The next decade cannot be a decade of confrontation and contention. It cannot be east vs. West. It cannot be men vs. women. It cannot be Islam vs. Christianity. That is what the enemies of dialogue want.
What is not recorded is not remembered.
I believe that democracies do not go to war; that's the lesson of history, and I think that a democratic Pakistan is the world community's best guarantee of stability in Asia.
I have led an unusual life. I have buried a father killed at age 50 and two brothers killed in the prime of their lives. I raised my children as a single mother when my husband was arrested and held for eight years without a conviction - a hostage to my political career.
While living in America when I attended Harvard in the early 1970s, I saw for myself the awesome, almost miraculous, power of a people to change policy through democratic means.
The Internet is the great equalizer. The technology which emanated from the Silicon Valley of California has more potential to ameliorate social inequality than any development in the history of the world, including the industrial revolution.
All our problems, all our disputes, all our disagreements can be resolved quickly to mutual satisfaction if we address the question.
When the United States aligns with dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, it compromises the basic democratic principles of its foundation - namely, life, liberty and justice for all.
The military wants a system that protects its policies and privileges.
The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated... Despite threats of death, I will not acquiesce to tyranny, but rather lead the fight against it.
What is important is that a political party articulates the mood of a generation.
Oppression does not know the meaning of provincial boundaries. Aren't our energies better spent fighting the common enemy instead of each other?
I found that a whole series of people opposed me simply on the grounds that I was a woman. The clerics took to the mosque saying that Pakistan had thrown itself outside the Muslim world and the Muslim umar by voting for a woman, that a woman had usurped a man's place in the Islamic society.
Democracy needs support, and the best support for democracy comes from other democracies.
Through democracy we can address the basic needs of the people, involve them as participants in planning and restore the authority of the government.
The best revenge is democracy.
The political parties have unanimously rejected the one-man constitutional changes.
Democracy is the best revenge. After Benazir Bhutto's death, her son's brief public remarks were captured on video, and they were reported in international newspapers. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced, "My mother always said, ' Democracy is the best revenge.
I am constitutionally competent to contest the elections.
I'm not into smoke-filled rooms. I don't have the time for byzantine political intrigues.
The Orange Revolution in Ukraine is a good example of how people, who are robbed of their right to vote, can protest and put an end to dictatorship.
In a way, a jail is a place where you can rest, read books and live with yourself.
My father was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. My grandfather had been in politics, too; however, my own inclination was for a job other than politics. I wanted to be a diplomat, perhaps do some journalism - certainly not politics.
Dictatorships by their nature are unrepresentative as they neglect the social needs of the people.
Right now, they feel they have lost their voice, and their miseries have increased since my departure.
I've never had a bank account in Switzerland since 1984. Why would the Swiss do this to me? Maybe the Swiss are trying to divert attention from the Holocaust gold scandal.
Military hardliners called me a 'security threat' for promoting peace in South Asia and for supporting a broad-based government in Afghanistan.
The military destabilised my government on politically motivated charges.
The next few months are critical to Pakistan's future direction as a democratic state committed to promoting peace, fighting terrorism and working for social justice.
Military dictatorship is born from the power of the gun, and so it undermines the concept of the rule of law and gives birth to a culture of might, a culture of weapons, violence and intolerance.
It's never easy dealing with terrorists, but it must be done through a mixture of political, economic and administrative means.
Being in jail is difficult too because it's like being in a graveyard, you can't do much.
A political war can be fought from anywhere.
Military or dictatorial rule is not good for our Pakistan.
It would be so nice to have the luxury just to laze. So nice not to have to always get up and get dressed for some occasion. Always having to move from here to there, where everything is scheduled and even having lunch with my kids on their Easter break has to be slotted in. Maybe one day.
The Holy Book calls upon Muslims to resist tyranny. Dictatorships in Pakistan, however long, have, therefore, always collapsed in the face of this spirit.
It is one thing being able to contest an election and to give the people hope that I can be the next prime minister. It is a totally different situation where the people of Pakistan are told that the results are already taken and the leader of your choice is banned.
― Benazir Bhutto Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
