“Black Consciousness seeks to infuse the black community with a newfound pride in themselves, their efforts, their value systems, their culture, their religion and their outlook to life.”
“I’m doing what I’m doing because I believe in human dignity, equality and freedom. I cannot be free if my fellow human beings are not free!”
“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew that if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind I would still be in prison.”
“We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own – indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder.”
“We need each other to become fully human. This is also true of the different nations: that one people has particular gifts, a distinct world view, a cultural ethos, which is not necessarily better or superior to those of other people. It is just different and needs to be balanced by those of other peoples.”
“This work is not for yourselves, kill that spirit of self and do not live above your people, but live with them, and if you can rise, bring someone with you.”
“Let us listen to the voices of our forebears… in the smoky cabin, souls that wish us well are murmuring… The civilization of the twentieth century cannot be universal except by being a dynamic synthesis of all the cultural values of all civilizations.”
“If we forget any of our principles… Africa will fail to make its proper contribution to the development of mankind. In determining our future out of the lessons of our present and past, we shall be working out a new synthesis, a way of life that draws from Europe as well as Africa, from Islam as well as Christianity, from communalism and individualism.”
“I would never have been cruel, wicked, if the Portuguese had respected my crown and the rights of my birth, and had not usurped my states and defeated my throne. Against the natural generosity of my feelings, against the softness of my character, I became a monster of ferocity.”
“The new civilization he is supposed to acquire neither prepares him for the proper functions of a European mode of life nor for African life; he is left floundering between the two social forces… Along with his land they rob him of his government, condemn his religious ideas, and ignore his fundamental conceptions of justice and morals, all in the name of civilization and progress.”
“Women will not pay taxes!”
“Until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race. Until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, and the rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained…”
“Women are half the society. You cannot have a revolution without women. You cannot have democracy without women. You cannot have equality without women. You can’t have anything without women.”
“My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be equal of anyone. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.”
“If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”