Lech Walesa — "I never wanted to be a hero. I just wanted to do my duty."
I never wanted to be a hero. I just wanted to do my duty.
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More from Lech Walesa
"My wife is stronger than me. She keeps me grounded."
"I am a man of compromise, but I will not compromise on principles."
"My critics say that I should speak better ... that I should read the things they write for me. But I have another principle, gentlemen, and that is to get things done."
"I am a simple man, but I have a strong will."
"My job is to represent the people, not to be popular."
About Lech Walesa (born 1943)
Polish electrician who founded Solidarity in 1980, won the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize, and became the first post-communist president of Poland (1990-1995). Closely associated with Václav Havel (fellow Eastern-bloc dissident-turned-president) and Pope John Paul II (the Polish pope whose 1979 visit catalyzed Solidarity). For an intellectual contrast, see Wojciech Jaruzelski, Polish general and Communist leader — Jaruzelski imposed martial law in 1981, banned Solidarity, and interned Wałęsa. He represented the Soviet-backed institutional power Solidarity's nonviolent labor movement was organized to displace — they ultimately signed the 1989 Round Table Talks together that ended Polish communism.