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На пути из третьего мира в первый: Взгляды и убеждения Ли Куан Ю

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Эта книга — сборник ярких высказываний одного из самых видных политических деятелей XX века, первого премьер-министра Республики Сингапур Ли Куан Ю. Представленные здесь цитаты отражают его отношение к различным аспектам общественно-политической и социальной жизни, раскрывают его политические взгляды и помогают понять, как стал возможен такой грандиозный скачок из третьего мира в первый.

Для политиков, начинающих и «продвинутых» предпринимателей, а также для всех, кому интересны мудрые мысли великих людей.

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2013

162 people are currently reading
1571 people want to read

About the author

Lee Kuan Yew

38 books610 followers
Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore in 1923. He was educated at Raffles College, Singapore and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England. He was called to the Bar, Middle Temple, London, in 1950 and practised law in Singapore. He became advisor to several trade unions.

In 1954, he was a founder of the People's Action Party and was Secretary General up to 1992.

Mr Lee became Singapore's Prime Minister in 1959, serving successive terms until he resigned in November 1990, when he was appointed Senior Minister by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. He was re-appointed again after the 1991, 1997 and 2001 general elections.

In August 2004, Mr Lee was appointed Minister Mentor by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and was reappointed again after the 2006 general elections. He stepped down as Minister Mentor in May 2011, and was appointed Senior Advisor to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
143 reviews22 followers
March 11, 2019
Basically a selection of LKY's quotes on a wide range of topics. Not utterly insightful and probably not the best compendium out there.

A somewhat similar book - "Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World", which is curated in part by Graham Allison and which features a foreword by Henry Kissinger himself - is much, much better.
Profile Image for Gabriel Pinkus.
160 reviews69 followers
September 24, 2021
“I do not want a suppliant, an inert society where people just say, ‘yes’ to everything I say because that means it is a society with no verve, no vitality. But, at the same time, I expect you to start thinking; not just to mouth old slogans which are no longer relevant. Start thinking.” - Lee Kuan Yew, 1966
Profile Image for Jermayne.
91 reviews31 followers
August 21, 2020
A quick way to understand how the Singapore system came to be, through learning about LKY’s philosophies and guiding principles
Profile Image for Srikar.
136 reviews61 followers
February 29, 2020
An assorted collection of LKY quotes arranged by loose sections. Helps the reader get a good grasp of LKY's political and economic leanings throughout the years. How he turns from socialism to free market/mixed economy, etc. Enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Shadin Pranto.
1,479 reviews561 followers
January 6, 2026
আধুনিক সিঙ্গাপুরের রূপকার লি কুয়ান ইউয়ের মনোজগৎ বুঝতে বইটা দরকারি। তার চিন্তাভাবনা উপলব্ধি করতে পারলে সিঙ্গাপুরের অসামান্য ও চোখধাঁধানো সাফল্যের পটভূমি জানা যাবে। জনাব ইউয়ের বাণী সংকলন বলা যেতে পারে বইটিকে। যা যে কোনো পাঠককে ভাবনার খোরাক দেবে।

আমার ভালো লেগেছে, এমন বাণী সেখানে কমসেকম এক শ। এর মধ্য থেকে মাত্র দশটি উল্লেখ করছি:

1. We cannot measure our happiness just by our GDP growth. It is how our families and friends care for each other, how we look after our old and nurture our young, they are what make for a closely knit society, one we can be proud to belong to.

2. A nation is great not by its size alone. It is the will, the cohesion, the stamina, the discipline of its people and the quality of their leaders which ensure it an honourable place in history.

3. As a nation, we must have other goals. Economic growth is not the end itself. After the success of the economy, you want to translate it into high standards of living, high quality of life, with recreation, the arts, spiritual fulfilment, and intellectual fulfilment. So, we are also spending considerable sums for the arts, which will create a more gracious society.

4.If you want to be popular, do not try to be popular all the time. Popular government does not mean that you do popular things all the time. We do not want to be unpopular or to do unpopular things. But when they are necessary, they will be done.

5. Just honour your promises, do not corrupt and debauch your party and you will find that the people believe you, when you go back to ask them to renew the mandate.

6. From 23 years of experience in government, I have learned that one high-calibre mind in charge of a ministry, or a statutory board, makes the difference between success and failure of a major project. A top mind, given a task, brings together a group of other able men, organises them into a cohesive team, and away the project goes.

7.Great leaders mirror the qualities of the nations they lead.

8. A good administration is essential but in a developing country, let me add, a good political leadership is critical. It is life and death. In a developed society, you can have mediocre, indifferent ministers and the country will get by.

9. No army, however brave, can win when its generals are weak.

10. I have never believed those who advocate a soft approach to crime and punishment, claiming that punishment does not reduce crime. That was not my experience in Singapore before the war, during the Japanese occupation or subsequently.
Profile Image for June Ding.
184 reviews6 followers
April 17, 2018
I remember clearly the year I had my training on LEAN. Because that is the date Lee passed away. The trainer is a Singaporean. He started his class by paying his best wishes to their founding father who was in hospital at the time of the class. The trainer spoke excellent English with a tiny accent. He did a great job in the two days training. In fact I learned from the organiser that a couple of other trainers from abroad were tried but found unsatisfactory. I cannot help but thinking he is representative of Lee Kuan Yew’s singapore - well educated Chinese with excellent command of English and knowledge of international standard.

“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”. And he indeed is a straight talker. The book is full of his quotes on various topics ranging from democracy to China. It is refreshing to read from someone who speaks his mind and whose accomplishments are proven.
Profile Image for Kingsley O..
67 reviews
May 21, 2019
“The Dutch, the British, the French never gave us any technology. They built our universities, but they never taught us engineering. They taught us medicine, law, history, culture. They withheld the modern part of the industrial society.”
Profile Image for Ivan Shakuta.
30 reviews1 follower
September 13, 2019
Интересно, но местами нудновато. Не жалею что прочитал.
Profile Image for Negin.
779 reviews147 followers
June 2, 2023
This is a collection of quotes by Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore. The quotes were good and well-organized, but most of them didn’t interest me as much as I had hoped.

Home Ownership
“We have made home ownership the cornerstone of Singapore’s public housing policy – the vast majority of the population own, not rent, their homes. Ownership is critical because we were an immigrant community with no common history. Our peoples came from many different parts of Asia. Home ownership helped to quickly forge a sense of rootedness in Singapore. It is the foundation upon which nationhood was forged. The pride people have in their homes prevents our estates from turning into slums, which is the fate for public housing in other countries.”

The Internet
“This is a highly competitive world. We survive by being competitive. If we don’t do the internet better than our neighbours, we’ll be out of business. But if we allow it to make our people permissive, promiscuous, relaxed and it unravels the family and the extended family, then I say we are undone and finished, because family strength and social cohesion were the basis on which we built Singapore.

Measuring Happiness
“We cannot measure our happiness just by our GDP growth. It is how our families and friends care for each other, how we look after our old and nurture our young, they are what make for a closely knit society, one we can be proud to belong to.”
Profile Image for Ali Hassan.
447 reviews29 followers
November 29, 2020
"If the power of the State which we now control is used not to enrich the lives of many of its people but to line the pockets of a few of the ruling hierarchy, then verily we shall all perish."

"I do not yet know of a man who became a leader as a result of having undergone a leadership course"

"The weakness of democracy is that the assumption that all men are equal and capable of equal contribution to the common good is flawed."

"There is a hallmark of whether a country is developed or underdeveloped. If the people do not understand why they are poor and they believe that either you have a messiah who makes a speech or an army general with a gun, who looks efficient, military-like, business-like and that he can cure problems of poverty, unemployment and development, then I say you are underdeveloped, because it is only in an underdeveloped situation that such a thing can happen."

"Imparting knowledge to pass examinations and later to do a job, these are important. However, the litmus test of a good education is whether it nurtures citizens who can live, work, contend and cooperate in a civilized way. Is he loyal and patriotic? Is he, when the need arises, a good soldier, ready to defend his country, and so protect his wife and children, and his fellow citizens?"

Lee Kuan Yew
Profile Image for BeeslyPam.
7 reviews
September 21, 2019
Singapore is one the most well-off countries in Asia, particularly in the Southeast Asian region. I have learnt to understand how Lee Kuan Yew established a fully functional, self-governing state that has the Asian and diverse cultures as its foundation. His wisdom is insurmountable as well as his efforts into bringing in foreign investors and talents to forge the economy that is efficient and sustainable for its peoples.

by allowing the country to adapt to contemporary changes and financial challenges, Singapore has emerge to be at par with its western counterparts such as Portugal and Spain. It is a relatively new country but the three decade leadership of Lee Kuan Yes has created a man-made state with the great appreciation for education and the advancement of technology.

Profile Image for Ivan Krsnik.
83 reviews
March 12, 2022
The book is a collection of quotes by Lee Kuan Yew divided into chapters by theme.

Besides the usual wisdom, the book is a very interesting read because the quotes inside a chapter are sorted chronologically, with the year next to each quote, so the reader can really see how LKY's political stances have changed from his start in politics in 1950s up to his retirement in 2010s.
Profile Image for ARC.
97 reviews
October 17, 2023
Devotional bite-sized quotes of LKY categorised accordingly to various themes. Probably a good easy read to get a broad overview of the man’s thoughts before embarking in-depth on his memoirs, which is what I intend to do next!
Profile Image for Mochammad Syahdiladarama.
27 reviews
August 20, 2025
This book gives me insights on how LKY thought and made decisions, especially in policy and determining the early stage of The now-Great Singapore. Definitely another reference needed to be read, especially more into his biography and life as the public servant.
Profile Image for طارق المزين.
5 reviews
May 8, 2017
قرأت هذا الكتاب بعد زيارتي لسنغافورة. وجدته قصة سنغافورة ودليلا ملهما لمن اراد تغيير امته للافضل.
Profile Image for Dipa Sanatani.
Author 13 books101 followers
January 1, 2018
A fascinating book of quotes. It didn't feel so much like a book - more like sitting down and having a chat with the man himself. A good read :)
421 reviews2 followers
April 9, 2018
A decently organized (first by subject, then chronologically) collection of quotes.
4 reviews
December 31, 2018
It’s a good read of a vigorous, ambitious, methodical man. Great book of quotes.
Profile Image for Garvit Rawlani.
17 reviews
May 23, 2020
Lee Kuan Yew transformed Singapore from a poor British colony to a wealthy developed Nation .The wisdom is inspiring.
115 reviews1 follower
February 10, 2025
3.5

A collection of quotes which give an insight into Lee's thoughts and philosophies.

He is clearly an interesting politician and this book made me keen to read a more in depth biography of him.
Profile Image for audrey.
33 reviews
June 16, 2025
2/5

This is basically a collection of LKY’s quotes, organized by topics. It isn’t arranged very intuitively and lacks necessary context for the political environments in which he uttered them.

If you want an answer to “What might LKY think about XYZ,” there’s another book called “LKY: The Grand Master’s Insights” which is better organized.
Profile Image for Karl.
408 reviews66 followers
October 29, 2017
He is consistently right about everything. So unlike a democratically elected politician. A good dictator, with a firm grip can go ahead and just optimize stuff, he can go ahead and just try to understand everything correctly.
Profile Image for Atakan.
53 reviews
March 21, 2017
Lee Kuan Yew is a hidden gem of the 20th century.
Book was great, very simple and precise - learned a lot from it.
Even though at some places I needed to learn about the context, it was pretty good overall.
Definitely recommended to anyone interested in politics.
Profile Image for Erik Berikov.
58 reviews3 followers
October 21, 2019
На пути из 3-го мира в 1-ый
Взгляды и убеждения Ли Куан Ю.

- [ ] Искусство управления и состоит в искусстве укрепления командного духа
- [ ] Гражданство: Ему нужно ответить на очень личные вопросы: «Это моя страна? Должен ли я быть предан ей? Готов ли я воевать или умереть ради нее, если потребуется?»
- [ ] Мне ни к чему аморфное, инертные общество, готовое поддакнуть каждому моему слову. Такое общество бездушно, безжизненно. Я жду, что вы начнете думать, а не выкрикивать устаревшие лозунги. Начните думать.
- [ ] Великие лидеры отражают великие качества своей нации.
- [ ] Независимо от расы или религии мы зарабатываем на том, что производим, а не на религии или расе. Развитие экономики, подьем производительности, увеличение отдачи- все это имеет смысл лишь при честной игре и честном распределении прибыли, чтобы у каждого из нас был стимул для максимального участия в общей борьбе за выживание и развитие.
- [ ] Традиционалисты и религиозные фанатики разжигают расовые или религиозные страсти, увлекая за собой недалеких людей. Но мы не можем позволить нашим малочисленным расам/меньшинствам подвергаться унижению
- [ ] Вы растете, я расту вместе с вами. Это самый лучший вариант.
- [ ] Лучшее капиталовложение Японии- обучение молодого поколение
- [ ] Фабианство Общество
- [ ] Когда сотрудники получают равное вознаграждение независимо от того, работают ли они в полную силу или спустя рукава, со временем все начинают трудиться хуже и хуже, и страна опускается все ниже.
- [ ] Только в случае, когда работники мотивированы на высокие показатели и знают, что получат большую долю от большего дохода, созданного их дополнительными усилиями, будет богатеть все общество в целом и каждый его гражданин в отдельности.
- [ ] Что такое хорошее правительство? Ответ зависит от системы ценностей народа.
- [ ] Wu Lun «5 отношении»
- [ ] В обществе, где старые карты и компасы больше не действительны, а люди постоянно куда-то движутся, наступает важный исторический момент, когда лидерство следует принять на себя молодым.
- [ ] Для повышения уровня образования совершенно необходимо сделать науку свободной. Это включает также и свободу обсуждать любые политические темы и принимать политическую точку зрения- в рамках академического исследования.
- [ ] Если бы я выбрал профессию, которая требует наибольших затрат сил при мизерной отдаче, то, скорее всего, это было бы преподавание (при условии серьезного к нему отношения). Учитель должен уметь, убеждать, вдохновлять и дисциплинировать молодой ум, прививая ему правильные привычки. Он должен обладать талантом.
Profile Image for Ispirian Hovhannes.
34 reviews5 followers
August 4, 2015
Сборник цитат и мыслей выдающегося лидера 20-го века. Цитаты разбиты по темам и расположены в хронологическом порядке. Интересно наблюдать как меняется мнение Ли Куан Ю по некоторым вопросам на протяжении жизни, иногда кардинально. Особенно показательно развитие его отношения к демократии. Если в начале своего пути он романтичен:
-Если ты поверил в демократию, твоя вера должна быть безусловной. Если ты веришь, что человек должен быть свободным, то предоставь ему свободу собраний, свободу слова, свободу публикаций. (1955)
то со временем его взгляды становятся все более консервативными:
-В отличие от американских политических обозревателей, я не верю в то, что демократия безусловно ведет к развитию. Я верю, что страна в большей степени нуждается в дисциплине, чем в демократии. (1992)
-Прямые и свободные выборы - не лучший первый шаг на пути к демократии в стране без истории, без традиций, без опыта самоуправления. (2006)

Книга интересна, как дополнение к основному труду Ли Куан Ю - "Из третьего мира в первый".

Некоторые из выписанных мной цитат:
- Искусство управления и состоит в искусстве укрепления командного духа.
- "Совершенство" - слово, в котором заключается рецепт выживания Сингапура в этом суровом мире.
- Мы не можем видеть будущее. Чтобы предст��вить будущее, необходимо знать, какие силы его формируют. И, определив свою позицию, мы стараемся заставить эти вилы работать на нас.
- Наш единственный путь - постоянное повышение уровня образования, квалификации, знаний и технологий. Учеба длиною в жизнь - вот направление, которому нужно следовать в этой экономике знаний со стремительно меняющимися технологиями.
- Политика - это искусство поиска возможностей.
- Великие лидеры отражают великие качества своей нации.
- Безусловно стране необходима хорошая администрация, но позвольте добавить, развивающейся стране не обойтись и без сильного политического лидера. Это буквально вопрос жизни и смерти. Лишь развитая страна может позволить себе такую роскошь, как безответственное неумелое руководство, - она при этом не развалится.
- Если и существует ключ к успеху - то это уверенность. Люди должны верить в себя. Если им не хватает уверенности, если они боятся, что задача им не по плечу, они никогда не достигнут цели.

PS. Очень огорчил дешевый трюк от уважаемого издательства "Манн, Иванов и Фербер", которые перевели название книги как "На пути из третьего мира в первый" в маркетинговых целях.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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