1. 關於星馬分家
1965年新加坡被逐出馬來西亞聯邦之際，李光耀發表電視演說，但在攝影機前話才說到一半，就哽咽無法言語。在星馬分離的當下，他道出了新加坡民眾的不安。
「我一直都堅信馬來西亞人終將歸併成一國，馬來西亞和新加坡兩個地區也會統一。兩地人民的連結不只來自土地、經濟，更是血濃於水──（哽咽）不好意思，我們可以先暫停一下嗎……」－1965年
“I have believed in Malaysian merger and the unity of these two territories. You know they are people connected by geography, economics, and ties of kinship — would you mind that we stop for a while…”－1965
2. 關於學生運動
越戰期間，李光耀接受美國記者專訪。記者問他，若是美國波士頓的反越戰示威遊行出現在新加坡，他會如何處理？
李光耀回答，新加坡也常有學生抗議，他認為學生和年輕人應該充滿理想，唯有如此，國家才會進步。然而：
「歸根究底，大人而非青少年必須作出最後的抉擇。然而這項抉擇必須讓青少年成為大人後，回首過往，為前一個世代感到驕傲。」－1968年
“At the end of the day, decisions have got to be made by adults, not teenagers, but it has got to be made in such a way that when the teenagers become adults, and they look back on these decisions, they will be proud of the generation that went before them.” －1968
3. 關於如何說「不」
「保持禮貌沒有什麼壞處。如果你必須說『不』，請禮貌地表達並闡述原因……告訴我你為何說『不』，不要把『不』改變成『是』，別當個傻子。如果你有很好的理由拒絕我，那就請堅持立場，但務必要保持禮貌。」－1965年
“You lose nothing by being polite. The answer is ‘No’, but please say it politely and give the reasons… Explain to me why ‘No’. Don’t change ‘No’ to ‘Yes’. Don’t be a fool. If there was a good reason why it is ‘No’, it must remain ‘No’, but the man must be told politely.” －1965
4. 關於「愛」
李光耀與夫人柯玉芝之間的感情讓人動容，關於愛情李光耀在《李光耀：新加坡賴以生存的硬道理》一書中曾表示：
「我不相信一見鍾情，這是嚴重的錯誤。如果你只是受對方的身體特質吸引，未來必將懊悔不已。」
“I don’t believe in love at first sight. I think it’s a grave mistake. You’re attracted by physical characteristics and you will regret it.”—From Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going
5. 1980年萊佛士坊（Raffles Place）集會演講
「想要成為新加坡治理者的人，必須要有鋼鐵般的意志，否則就放棄吧。因為這不是一場牌戲，這關係到你的人生，關係到我的人生。我投注一生心血打造新加坡，只要我還在位，沒有人可以打垮它。」－1980年
“Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I’ve spent a whole lifetime building this and as long as I’m in charge, nobody is going to knock it down.” －1980
6. 關於禁嚼口香糖政策
“If you can’t think because you can’t chew, try a banana.”—2000
7. 關於典型的新加坡人
「如果你了解新加坡人，就會知道他們是努力、勤勉、強悍的個體，不然我們不可能獲得今日的成就。但我們也必須承認，新加坡人是世界第一的發牢騷專家。」－1977年
“You know the Singaporean. He is a hard-working, industrious, rugged individual. Or we would not have made the grade. But let us also recognise that he is a champion grumbler.” －1977
8. 關於「努力」
「你必須牢牢地記住，深深地把這件事印在腦海裡，那就是這個地方（新加坡）之所以有今天的成就，全是因為我們的努力。一旦你停止努力，這一切亦將不復存在。」─2009年
“As long as you keep that, at the back of your mind, this place is what it is because of our effort. You cease to make that effort, you cease to be like this.”－2009
9. 關於治理新加坡
「要讓人民開心，你必須做一兩件事：你必須給他們一些什麼滿足他們，比如更好的食物、更好的衣服、更好的住所；如果你做不到，那麼就讓他們相信偉大的願景即將降臨。」—1965年
“You’ve got to do one of two things when you’ve got to keep people happy: either, give them something that will satisfy them, better food, better clothes, better homes; or if you can’t do that, then give them the vision of greatness to come”. —1965
「我不是任何人的應聲蟲。我不玩其他人的遊戲。我還有幾百萬人的生活要顧。」—1965年
“I am nobody’s stooge. I am not here to play somebody else’s game. I have a few million people’s lives to account for.” —1965
10. 關於兒子李顯龍繼任總理
美國專欄作家普雷特（Tom Plate）曾對李光耀說，如果我是像你一樣的建國總理，還有個兒子接棒治理國家，我會無比驕傲。李光耀回答：
「是沒錯，但同時我必須非常小心，確保他不會毀了我的紀錄……當然，他也有艱難的處境，但和我起家時相比，他擁有更多的資源。」
“Yeah, but at the same time, I must be very careful that he is not going to smudge the record.. Well, he has got a tough time, but he has got more resources than I had when I started.”— During Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew
11. 1984年國慶演講
「如果當初我們像一般人一樣，選擇其他事業，我認為沒有人會因此責怪我們，因為我們什麼都沒有……我們只有絕不屈服的意志，如果我們失敗了，將會付出極大的代價。」—1984年
“I think nobody would have blamed us if we acted like ordinary mortals and decided to take up some other career, because we had nothing… All we had was the will not to yield, and that if we had to go down, there would be a terrible price to be paid.” —1984
12. 關於表達己見
「我一生被人指責過很多事情，但就連最勢不兩立的敵人，也不曾指責我不敢說出自己的想法。」—1995年
“I have been accused of many things in my life, but not even my worst enemy has ever accused me of being afraid to speak my mind.” —1955
「我一直試圖站在正確的一方，但並不是政治正確的一方。」—2000年
“I always tried to be correct, not politically correct.” —2000
13. 關於信仰
「我不會稱自己為無神論者。對於神的存在，我既不否認也不接受。」
“I wouldn’t call myself an atheist. I neither deny nor accept that there is a God.”
14. 關於死亡
「死亡是一切的終點，我希望自己的死亡儘可能快速、沒有痛苦。我不希望自己失去行動能力，半昏迷癱在床上，插著鼻胃管。」—節錄自《李光耀觀天下》
“There is an end to everything and I want mine to come as quickly and painlessly as possible, not with me incapacitated, half in coma in bed and with a tube going into my nostrils and down to my stomach.”— From One Man’s View of the World
「滿足於現有的成就？我希望我能如此。不，休息之際，死期亦不遠矣。」—節錄自《李光耀的機智與慧黠》
“Rest on laurels? I wish I could do that. No, you rest when you’re dead.”—From The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew
「我希望在死後能再見到我太太，但我不認為我能做到。因為我將隨著死亡消逝，一如她。否則，另外一個世界會人口過剩。」—節錄自《李光耀觀天下》
“I wish I can meet my wife in the hereafter, but I don’t think I will. I just cease to exist just as she has ceased to exist – otherwise the other world would be overpopulated.”— From One Man’s View of the World.
15. 最知名的李式名言
「就算是在我臨終彌留之際，就算是在你們即將埋葬我的時候，我如果覺得有問題，我還是會爬起來。」—1988年國慶演講
“Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up.”—1988 National Day Rally
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