History will judge societies and governments – and their institutions – not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.
CESAR CHAVEZDo not romanticize the poor. We are all people, human beings subject to the same temptations and faults as all others. Our poverty damages our dignity.
More Cesar Chavez Quotes
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What I do shows people what kind of person I am.
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When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick.
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A symbol is an important thing. That is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride. When people see it they know it means dignity.
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It takes a lot of punishment to be able to do anything to change the social order.
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The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.
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To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence.
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Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.
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We must understand that the highest form of freedom carries with it the greatest measure of discipline.
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We do not need to kill or destroy to win. We are a movement that builds and not destroys.
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It’s amazing how people can get so excited about a rocket to the moon and not give a damn about smog, oil leaks, the devastation of the environment with pesticides, hunger, disease.
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There are many reasons for why a man does what he does. To be himself he must be able to give it all. If a leader cannot give it all he cannot expect his people to give anything.
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Nonviolence is really tough. You don’t practice nonviolence at conferences; you practice it on picket-lines.
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When you sacrifice, you force others to sacrifice. It’s an extremely powerful weapon.
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Our language is the reflection of ourselves.
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I’m not going to ask for anything unless the workers want it. If they want it, they’ll ask for it.
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In giving of yourself, you will discover a whole new life full of.
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We have looked into the future and the future is ours.
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I’ve always maintained that it isn’t the form that’s going to make the difference. It isn’t the rule or the procedure or the ideology, but it’s human beings that will make it.
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Non-violence has suffered its biggest defeat in the hands of people who most want to talk about it.
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Self dedication is a spiritual experience.
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When workers fall back on violence, they are lost. Oh, they might win some of their demands and might end a strike a little earlier, but they give up their imagination, their creativity, their will to work hard and to suffer for what they believe is right.
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Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other.
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There is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance.
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There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.
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We’ll organize workers in this movement as long as we’re willing to sacrifice. The moment we stop sacrificing, we stop organizing.
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You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.
CESAR CHAVEZ