Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Quotes

Hunger is actually the worst weapon of mass destruction. It claims millions of victims each year.

Brazil has rediscovered itself, and this rediscovery is being expressed in its people's enthusiasm and their desire to mobilize to face the huge problems that lie ahead of us.

The growing use of biofuel will be an inestimable contribution to the generation of income, social inclusion and reduction of poverty in many poor countries of the world.

Where there is hunger there is no hope. There is only desolation and pain. Hunger nurtures violence and fanaticism. A world where people starve will never be safe

When I see Messi - who is the best player in the world in my opinion - lose the ball, he runs off until he gets it back or commits a foul. Our guys lose the ball and fold their arms.

A war can perhaps be won single-handedly. But peace - lasting peace - cannot be secured without the support of all.

Free trade is very important if we respect equality among nations.

The true path to peace is shared development. If we do not want war to go global, justice must go global

Well-fed people can enhance their dignity, their health and their learning capacity. Putting resources into social programs is not expenditure. It is investment.

Everyone is innocent unless proven otherwise.

The fight against hunger and poverty is also predicated on the creation of a world order that accords priority to social and economic development.

No sustainable development, environmental harmony or lasting security will happen if we are unable to eradicate hunger and extreme inequality

I will never tire from repeating my commitment to ensuring that every Brazilian can have breakfast, lunch and supper every day.

Every time he plays, Leo Messi reminds me more of Maradona, both left-footed and short, Messi is the best player in the world, along with Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo. For us it is not a surprise. Since he began to come and train with us and we knew we would go down this path. Someday I will explain that I was at the birth of one of the footballing greats: Leo Messi.

Brazil is in a solid position. In the past, if the United States sneezed, we caught pneumonia. Today, if the United States sneezes, we sneeze too.

It is clear that Messi is on a level above all others. Those who do not see that are blind.

Without Messi there isn't a team for Argentina, Messi is brilliant, different, with a strong mentality. Let's hope he doesn't change.

If with so little we have done so much in Brazil, imagine what could have been done on a global scale, if the fight against hunger and poverty were a real priority for the international community.

We've advanced in the construction of a true free-trade area across South America... What's needed now is less rhetoric and more action.

Even strong as they are today, rich countries should have no illusion: nobody is safe in aworld of injustices.War will never bring security.War can only generate monsters: bitterness, intolerance, fundamentalism, and the damaging denial of current hegemonies.The poor must be given reasons to live, not to kill or die.

A long time ago I learned not to put the blame for backwardness in Brazil on the US. We have to blame ourselves. Our backwardness is caused by an elite which for a century didn't think about the majority and subordinated itself to foreign interests.

My greatest desire is that the hope that has overcome fear in my country will help vanquish it around the world.

I know how to move between political camps. When everyone in the world hated (Libyan leader Moammar) Gadhafi, I paid him an official visit. It caused an uproar - Lula's visiting the devil!

I am the son of an illiterate father and mother.

I don't need arms, and neither does anyone else... At the very least, a ban would prevent fights from turning deadly.

The production of fuel from basic food commodities is, in fact, unjustifiable.

Only in my case, when my presidency ends, I will go back to my home industrial city town, 800 meters from my local trade union that projected me my political life. And if I fail, when I go back to my hometown, it's going to take another century for another worker, another member of the working class to reach the presidency, because people are going to say that the workers do not have the competency to run a country.

Fortunately, war in Latin America is usually waged only with words. The tongue is our most dangerous weapon. We talk too much!

This is the first global crisis that doesn't start in poor countries and it was caused by the rich countries. So it's necessary to take advantage of this crisis - the financial system has to be regulated. It's necessary that the central banks in the world should control a little bit the banks' financing, because they cannot bypass a certain range of leverage. And I believe that there's no other - more any reason for a G-8 group or any other "G." I believe that we should guarantee that the G-20 should be now an important forum to discuss the major economic issues of the world.

I respect the path Cuba chooses to take.

I believe that it is very difficult in the world of today to continue with G-8 only without taking in account the importance of Brazil, China, India, many in the world economy, because these countries are great consumers, large consumers, and we're also becoming great producers, and also because we were better prepared than the rich countries for the nowadays global crisis.

No one can wipe away the injustices of centuries in only eight years.

All countries have problems with China's economic power.