Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Quotes
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Of course, I am the first democratically elected woman president in Africa, and that raises a lot of expectations. Because I represent the aspirations of women all over Africa, I must succeed for them. I must keep the door open for women's participation in politics at the highest level. That is both humbling and exciting.
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The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.
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Future generations will judge us not by what we say, but what we do.
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I believe that there are certain attributes in a woman that give her some advantages over a man. Women are usually more honest, more sensitive to issues and bring a stronger sense of commitment and dedication to what they do. Maybe because they were mothers, and being a mother you have that special attention for the family, for the young, for children…
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In Liberia, the big challenge that remains for us is job creation. We want young people to work or go to school. That is our main preoccupation right now.
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Women work harder. And women are more honest; they have less reasons to be corrupt.
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If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.
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I don't face any particular problems as a woman president because I have been a professional for a long time. I keep telling people: I am a technocrat who happens to be a woman.
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In Liberia, our salary scales are so low that our judicial system has become corrupt over the years. Now, we need to do some things ourselves.
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We are here because we share a fundamental belief: that poverty, illiteracy, disease and inequality do not belong in the twenty-first century. We share a common purpose: to eradicate these ills for the benefit of all. And we share a common tool to achieve this: the Millennium Development Goals.
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I think the majority of the Liberian people want peace.
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One has to look at my life story to see what I've done. I've paid a heavy price that many people don't realize.
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There is no easy fix or youth unemployment. Partnership between the public and private sectors can make a big difference.
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If your dreams don't scare you, you aren't dreaming big enough.
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I don't run a woman government. I run a government of people.
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I've been a victor of circumstance.
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In Liberia, our main obstacle is infrastructure: the lights, the water, the roads. Companies can't operate without those things. And even though we have commitments from our partners, it takes time to turn commitments into cash.
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Our entire judicial system in Liberia has broken down because of the many years of lawlessness, indiscipline and warfare. We need more training to get more qualified judges. We need infrastructural reforms. All of our laws need to be re-examined by a law reform commission.
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To girls and women everywhere, I issue a simple invitation. My sisters, my daughters, my friends; find your voice
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I just think that unless you have that cohesiveness in the family unit, the male character tends to become very dominant, repressive and insensitive. So much of this comes also from a lack of education.
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I earned my professional credibility a long time ago in a male-dominated world. I just hope that as a woman, I bring in an extra dimension to the job. I bring in the sensitivity of being a woman and a mother, and that means I pay more attention to women, children, and the social needs of society.
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Liberia has to take primary responsibility for its own reform agenda. But our resources are limited. We have to attract the private sector to get jobs to our people that will enable us to raise the government revenue, but to do that we have to build infrastructure. It's a very complex problem of development we are facing here.
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The people of Liberia know what it means to be deprived of clean water. But we also know what it means to see our children begin to smile again, with a restoration of hope and faith in the future.
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We all have a stake in the battle against Ebola.
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Ethnicity should enrich us; it should make us a unique people in our diversity and not be used to divide us.
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Ebola is not just a health crisis. Across West Africa, a generation of young people risks being lost to an economic catastrophe.
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I beg you I no magician. I can't just wave a magic wand.
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Leadership is never given on a silver platter, one has to earn it.
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As more men become more educated and women get educated, the value system has to be more enhanced and the respect for human dignity and human life is made better.
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I work hard, I work late, I have nothing on my conscience. When I go to bed, I sleep.
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