“Years of misguided teaching have resulted in the destruction of the best in our society, in our cultures and in the environment.”

In some cases non-violence requires more militancy than violence.

I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry and unhappy like we do. I feel very deeply about vegetarianism and the animal kingdom.

Being of service is not enough. You must become a servant of the people. When you do, you can demand their commitment in return.

Organizing is an educational process. The best educational process in the union is the picket line and the boycott. You learn about life.

To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence.

Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed.

We’ll organize workers in this movement as long as we’re willing to sacrifice. The moment we stop sacrificing, we stop organizing.

There is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance.

The end of all knowledge must be the building up of character.

You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.

The non-violent technique does not depend for its success on the goodwill of the oppressor, but rather on the unfailing assistance of God.

Our language is the reflection of ourselves.

When you sacrifice, you force others to sacrifice. It’s an extremely powerful weapon.

We have looked into the future and the future is ours.

When you have people together who believe in something very strongly – whether it’s religion or politics or unions – things happen.

Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.