"To be known you have to be a little bit nasty. In any case, I'm nasty only toward governments. I'm not nasty towards business people."

“This country stands out like a sore thumb trying to impose its European values in Asia as if the good old days when people can shoot aborigines without caring about human rights.”

“I believe that the country should have a strong government but not too strong. A two-thirds majority like I enjoyed when I was prime minister is sufficient but a 90% majority is too strong.”

“To be a great leader, one needs to have good strategies, be knowledgeable and able to predict the future.”

“It is disgraceful that you should be used by adults for the purpose of trying to shame us ... The timber industry helps hundreds of thousands of poor people in Malaysia. Are they supposed to remain poor because you want to study tropical animals? Is your study more important than filling the stomachs of poor people? Are Malaysians expected to lose millions of pounds so that you can study animals? I hope you will tell the adults who made use of you to learn all the facts. They should not be too arrogant and know how best to run a country… - Letter to Darrel Abercrombie in 1987, quoted at Free Malaysia Today”

“Clearly Islam the religion is not the cause of terrorism. Islam, as I said, is a religion of peace. However through the centuries, deviations from the true teachings of Islam take place. And so "Muslims" kill despite the injunction of their religion against killing especially of innocent people.”

“We also do not call each other "Bapak This" or "Bapak That, not like in the past. We now only hear people calling "Bapak" at home.”