10 of Kofi Annan's best, most inspirational quotes

desmond frimpong

August 20, 2018 10:58 AM

Ghanaian international diplomat Kofi Annan passed away on Saturday aged 80, after battling a short illness.

The death of the former UN chief shocked the world as leaders from all corners of the globe mourned him.

Annan was born in Kumasi and had most of his education in Ghana. He joined the UN in 1962, working for the World Health Organisation's Geneva office and rose to become the UN boss.

He served as UN Secretary-General for two consecutive five-year terms, beginning in January 1997.

As the world continues to mourn Anan, we take a look at some of his best quotes during his lifetime.

1. “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.”

2. “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.”

3. “Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.”

4. “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.”

5. “More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.”

6. “There is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than the one which involves women as central players.”

7. “I have always believed that on important issues, the leaders must lead. Where the leaders fail to lead, and people are really concerned about it, the people will take the lead and make the leaders follow.”

8. “We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children.”

9. “We have the means and the capacity to deal with our problems, if only we can find the political will.”

10. “In the rush for justice it is important not to lose sight of principles the country holds dear.”

desmond frimpong