People say mountains change in about ten years. If something as stubborn and mammoth as a mountain can change in a decade, the hearts of ordinary North Koreans can change. I'm sure of it. I'm living proof." --Ha Young, a North Korean defector

Jieun Baek
About This Quote

While a mountain can change in a decade, a person’s heart can change in a lifetime. A mountain is a part of the earth’s surface, while a heart is a part of the human body. The power of the mountains and the hearts of ordinary North Koreans are both remarkable. The people who live there have been isolated from the rest of the world for so long that they have grown thick-skinned and thick-headed.

Even so, The Great Leader has his powerful supporters, and he forces everyone to turn their backs on their own desires and become obedient to his way of thinking. Not everyone is able to fight against that kind of oppression for a lifetime. They fall into conformity and accept things that they know are wrong because they want to be accepted by society.

However, there are other people who do not conform to the system but refuse to give up hope. Those people are able to see beyond what others see and believe in what they believe in even though it is painful. They fight all over again, day after day, forever fighting for freedom from oppression.

Source: North Koreas Hidden Revolution: How The Information Underground Is Transforming A Closed Society

Some Similar Quotes
  1. You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth. - William W. Purkey
  2. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. - Unknown
  3. The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference. - Elie Wiesel
  4. This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like... - Marilyn Monroe
  5. When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always. - Mahatma Gandhi
More Quotes By Jieun Baek
  1. People say mountains change in about ten years. If something as stubborn and mammoth as a mountain can change in a decade, the hearts of ordinary North Koreans can change. I'm sure of it. I'm living proof." --Ha Young, a North Korean defector interviewed in...
  2. People say mountains change in about ten years. If something as stubborn and mammoth as a mountain can change in a decade, the hearts of ordinary North Koreans can change. I'm sure of it. I'm living proof." --Ha Young, a North Korean defector
Related Topics