Kofi Atta Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, from January 1997 to December 2006.

The former UN chief died in his sleep after a short illness on Saturday August 18, 2018.

World figures have been paying tribute to former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who died at the age of 80.

Below are 7 quotes of the late Kofi Annan we’ll forever cherish

1. To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.

2. There is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than the one which involves women as central players.

3. We cannot wait for governments to do it all. Globalization operates on Internet time. Governments tend to be slow-moving by nature because they have to build political support for every step.

4. I have always believed that on important issues, the leaders must lead. Where the leaders fail to lead, and people are really concerned about it, the people will take the lead and make the leaders follow.

5. Many African leaders refuse to send their troops on peace-keeping missions abroad because they probably need their armies to intimidate their own populations.

6. It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity.

7. Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.

Source: Ghanaguardian.com