Bayard Rustin on fighting
Bayard Rustin50 quotes“If I do not fight bigotry wherever it is, bigotry is thereby strengthened. And to the degree that it is strengthened, it will, thereby, have the power to turn on me.”
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Twenty-five, 30 years ago, the barometer of human rights in the United States were black people. That is no longer true. The barometer for judging the character of people in regard to human rights is now those who consider themselves gay, homosexual, lesbian.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin You have to join every other movement for the freedom of people.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin Black gay activists should try to build coalitions of people for the elimination of all injustice.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin I am an opponent of war and of war preparations and an opponent of universal military training and conscription; but entirely apart from that issue, I hold that segregation in any part of the body politic is an act of slavery and an act of war.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin The proof that one truly believes is in action.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin I would say except when I have been attacked the black community has seldom seen fit to even mention the gay aspect. And since when I have been attacked I have usually been defended by the black community,
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin I believe in social dislocation and creative trouble.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin Today, blacks are no longer the litmus paper or the barometer of social change. Blacks are in every segment of society and there are laws that help to protect them from racial discrimination.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. But when you’re right, you’re wrong anyhow.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin The moral man is he who is opposed to injustice per se, opposed to injustice wherever he finds it; the moral man looks for injustice first of all in himself.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin If people do not organize in the name of their interest, the world will not take them as being serious. And that is the chief reason that every person who is gay should join some gay organization. Because he must prove to the world that he cares about his own freedom.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin To be afraid is to behave as if the truth were not true.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin Conscription for war is inconsistent with freedom of conscience, which is not merely the right to believe but to act on the degree of truth that one receives, to follow a vocation which is God-inspired and God-directed.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.
Bayard RustinBayard Rustin
Original quotes
From our community writers
I managed to cut myself loose and while there was pain – there weren’t any blood.
Jenny WinbladhJenny Winbladh Free will exist only in a confused mind.
Frode GaslandFrode Gasland If you are true to yourself, you are already a winner.
Alex DanielAlex Daniel You deserve words that remind you of your value.
Saif Ali ManganSaif Ali Mangan Do always wonder about your worth and remind yourself that even roses have their own thorns.
Megan LaoMegan Lao I’m like sugar in the coffee. Stir me and I’ll dissolve into you.
BelaBela Plans have changed. Life looks different. & now we’re all figuring it out as we go.
Tanya GillTanya Gill Be loyal to those loyal to you.
Sonya TeclaiSonya Teclai
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More on fighting
I think we are constantly faced with the same decision. The decision to be blindly obedient to authority versus the decision to try and change things by fighting the powers that be is always, throughout history, the only decision.
Abbie HoffmanAbbie Hoffman I think the greatest legacy of the 1960s was the general feeling that not only can you fight the powers that be, but you can win.
Abbie HoffmanAbbie Hoffman I love the fight game. I like the brutality. I like the mentality. I like the aggressiveness, but I like the technique and skill. I like the stakes. I like the people around in the gym. I like the everyday, working class feel of a boxing gym.
Aaron EckhartAaron Eckhart I grew up doing martial arts, and I love martial arts movies and fight scenes. I’m pretty athletic, so I enjoy doing that stuff.
Aaron YooAaron Yoo The only other things I got from the abstract expressionists is the absolute belief that this canvas is the complete total area of struggle, this is the arena, this is where the fight is taking place, the battle.
Aaron SiskindAaron Siskind Companies have never won. You’re always either fighting for survival, or fighting for relevance.
Aaron LevieAaron Levie Actors aren’t fighters. They don’t know how to throw a punch. So, there’s a lot of hitting in the face. I’d much rather fight with a stuntman than another actor. I don’t like fighting with other actors because somebody always ends up getting hurt.
Aaron EckhartAaron Eckhart Kaisers and Czars will strut the stage Once more with pomp and greed and rage; Courtly ministers will stop At home and fight to the last drop; By the million men will die In some new horrible agony.
Robert GravesRobert Graves
