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Eighty-five percent cannot read when they enter the security forces of Afghanistan. Why? Because the Taliban withheld education during the period of time in which these men and women would have learned to read.

I speak five languages besides mine. I went to school in Egypt because girls weren't allowed to go to school in Saudi Arabia. It's very restricting, especially for girls; we're not allowed to go anywhere.

The women of Afghanistan have a voice, and it needs to be heard and not forgotten.

Now, I know there are many Americans who say, 'Get out of Afghanistan. Bring 'em all home.' And there are others who say, 'Put in hundreds of thousands of more.'

If we can't understand the Afghan family, we can't understand Afghanistan.

I grew up, as many Indians do, in an archipelago of tongues. My maternal grandfather, who was a surgeon in the city of Madras, was fluent in at least four languages and used each of them daily.

After all, when you come right down to it, how many people speak the same language even when they speak the same language?

In order to be a diplomat, one must speak a number of languages, including doubletalk.

I am just like 99% of my friends in France, who say on their resume they can speak fluent English. In reality, they can't even count up to three.