41 Quotes by Mary Robinson

As Elders, we are fully committed to the principle that all human beings are of equal worth. You will see that we highlight equality for girls and women - not just women's rights. That is important as girls, especially adolescent girls, have been almost invisible in debates on equal rights. Yet it is in adolescence that events can have a huge effect on a girl's life.

A culture is not an abstract thing. It is a living, evolving process. The aim is to push beyond standard-setting and asserting human rights to make those standards a living reality for people everywhere.

Today's human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow's conflicts.

We must understand the role of human rights as empowering of individuals and communities. By protecting these rights, we can help prevent the many conflicts based on poverty, discrimination and exclusion (social, economic and political) that continue to plague humanity and destroy decades of development efforts. The vicious circle of human rights violations that lead to conflicts-which in turn lead to more violations-must be broken. I believe we can break it only by ensuring respect for all human rights.

I was elected by the women of Ireland, who instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system.

Human rights are inscribed in the hearts of people; they were there long before lawmakers drafted their first proclamation.

In a society where the rights and potential of women are constrained, no man can be truly free. He may have power, but he will not have freedom.

If we took away barriers to women's leadership, we would solve the climate change problem a lot faster

The concept of using forced labor as a punishment is against the accepted international human rights principles embodied in many international instruments,