Burmese pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi began a four-day visit to the UK with an address at the London School of Economics.
Ms Suu Kyi received a standing ovation as she addressed the packed auditorium at the beginning of her visit on the latest leg of a 17-day European tour.
"It's all of you and people like you that have given me the strength to continue," she said.
Ms Suu Kyi spoke about the importance of the rule of law in Burma, which was under military control for 49 years, but in recent months has conducted a number of democratic reforms.
"The reason why I've emphasised the rule of law so much in my political work, is because this is what we all need if we are to really process towards democracy," she said.
"Unless people see that justice is done and seen to be done, we cannot believe in genuine reform," she added.
The Burmese opposition leader, who spent much of the last 21 years under house arrest in her native country, will be presented with an honorary degree by Oxford University tomorrow and is also due to address the Oxford Union.
She is to meet Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague and address parliament on Thursday.
She arrived in the UK last night from Ireland, where she met President Michael D Higgins, and U2 singer Bono, who presented her with Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience award.
Accepting her award at the Electric Burma concert at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, she said she had found the whole experience "totally unexpected".
Watch Aung San Suu Kyi's full speech here.
Ms Suu Kyi was placed under detention by the military in 1989 and remained under house arrest until July 1995, facing restrictions on her movements when finally released.
Her husband died of prostate cancer in 1999 at the age of 53. He had asked Burmese authorities to grant him a visa to visit her one last time, but was refused.
Ms Suu Kyi had chosen not to join her family abroad, fearing she would never be allowed back into Burma, also known as Myanmar, if she did so.
The last time the couple saw each other was Christmas 1995.
She was detained several more times before finally being freed in November 2010.
She was elected to parliament for the constituency of Kawhmu following a landslide victory in by-elections in April.
