Does running water stop when it reaches a rock? Of course not. It turns either left or right, and continues its way. Likewise, a positive person is confident that no challenge will stand in the way of achieving his or her goal.

Everybody starts small. We all begin life as a single cell. Every business starts as one person with an idea. How fast you go, how far you get, is in your hands. The bigger your vision, the bigger your achievement will be. Will you stumble on the way? Perhaps, but we cannot let fear keep us small. We have to be brave to be big.

We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone.

Creativity should be integral to everything that we do. Creativity should also be intrinsic to our personality, if excellence is what we seek.

The future does not wait for hesitant people. The more we achieve, the more we realise how much more we can achieve.

The ability to live in a stable, safe environment that gives us the opportunity to create, grow and nurture our talents is sadly denied to many in the world today. I am proud to be able to say – as a leader – I can offer this to my people.

Life is an extraordinary gift some people appear not to appreciate. In every breath and scent, every touch and sight we are gifted by new experience and the chance to feel the richness of experience. Every sound we hear, from the song of a bird to the harshness of an angry voice, is a miracle.

Good governance is about nothing more or less than creating happiness. It really is that simple.

Every nation can harness the energy of its citizens, either towards constructive work to generate optimism and hope, or towards tensions, unrest and war.

Helping those less fortunate than us is a blessed opportunity to show thanks for the gifts of life that we ourselves enjoy.

I will never abandon one opportunity and wait for another. We have not reached the goal we are striving for. What you see now is nothing compared to our vision…just tiny parts of what lies ahead.

Change or you will be changed: leaders who neglect the good of their people will be forsaken. Leadership is a service, not a gateway to privilege.

I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: we can transmit it to others.

Without a vision to guide our path, and without ambition that knows no limits, we can never build a bright future for generations to come.

Simplicity starts in the heart, away from negativity and pessimism.

Every single achievement you make, every single life you change and every single skill you acquire brings you one step closer to becoming a better leader. Every day you can improve the leader in you to become a better person and a greater leader.

A true leader does not derive power from his position, but from his ethics, from people’s love for him, and from his knowledge, education and excellence in his field of work.

The race for excellence has no finish line.

To take risk and fail is not a failure. Real failure is to fear taking any risk

An easy life does not make men, nor does it build nations. Challenges make men, and it is these men who build nations.