Hassan Rouhani: 10 Quotes From Hassan Rouhani That Should Give Us Hope

Impact

Actions speak louder than words, but some of the words are promising.

1. "Nuclear weapons have no role in Iran's national security doctrine; therefore Iran has nothing to conceal."

2. "What I truly wish is for moderation to return to the country. This is my only wish. Extremism pains me greatly. We have suffered many blows as a result of extremism."

3. “All the people in our country, no matter which ethnicity or tribe they're from, should feel they're the citizens of one country and enjoy equal rights.”

4. "We have to give people a free hand; we shouldn't intervene so much in people's private lives and culture."

5. “In my view, many policies and practices that have been undertaken by the present government need to be revisited and revised in order to make the life of our people more prosperous, happy and dignified.”

6. "The relationship between Iran and the United States is a complicated and difficult question. There is a chronic wound, which is difficult to heal. However, it is not impossible provided there is goodwill and mutual respect between the two countries.”

7. Iran is a modern Islamic society, with a modern polity and advanced institutions of civil society, leaving no room for extremism and radicalism to survive for any length of time.

8. “I will engage closely in diplomatic interaction and cooperation with all countries in the region to remove the clouds of misunderstanding and rivalry. In this region, our areas of common interests are much larger than disparate points of disagreement and contention.”

9. "In a government of 'Hope and Prudence,' men and women, boys and girls will feel free."

10. "We need moderation and rationality; we have to move away from extremism. Likewise regarding the issue of foreign policy — we need to preserve the interests and national security of the country and we have to create the conditions for the necessary opportunities in the political, economic, cultural, and other spheres for our people."