What is the purpose of a MySQL select statement?

The MySQL SELECT statement is used to retrieve data from a database. It allows users to select specific columns or all columns from the database, and can limit the retrieved rows by setting filtering conditions through the WHERE clause. The SELECT statement can also use keywords like ORDER BY, GROUP BY, HAVING, and LIMIT to sort, group, filter, and limit the results. By using the SELECT statement, users can perform various complex data retrieval operations to meet specific query requirements.