Lech Walesa — "I have never sought power. Power sought me."
I have never sought power. Power sought me.
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More from Lech Walesa
"The world is changing, and we must change with it. But we must not lose our values."
"My biggest mistake was that I trusted too many people."
"I was just a tool in God's hands."
"I am an optimist, even when things are difficult."
"Freedom is not a gift; it must be fought for every day."
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.