In the no-nonsense school of adversity, which we did not choose for ourselves, we are learning how to operate a labor union.
CESAR CHAVEZIn the no-nonsense school of adversity, which we did not choose for ourselves, we are learning how to operate a labor union.
CESAR CHAVEZOur language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.
CESAR CHAVEZWe do not need to kill or destroy to win. We are a movement that builds and not destroys.
CESAR CHAVEZOur very lives are dependent, for sustenance, on the sweat and sacrifice of the campesinos. Children of farm workers should be as proud of their parents’ professions as other children are of theirs.
CESAR CHAVEZWhen any person suffers for someone in greater need, that person is a human.
CESAR CHAVEZEvery time we sit at a table at night or in the morning to enjoy the fruits and grain and vegetables from our good earth, remember that they come from the work of men and women and children who have been exploited for generations.
CESAR CHAVEZWhat is at stake is human dignity. If a man is not accorded respect he cannot respect himself and if he does not respect himself, he cannot demand it.
CESAR CHAVEZThrough Gandhi and my own life experience, I have learned about nonviolence. I believe that human life is a very special gift from God, and that no one has a right to take that away in any cause, however just. I am convinced that nonviolence is more powerful than violence.
CESAR CHAVEZWe’ll organize workers in this movement as long as we’re willing to sacrifice. The moment we stop sacrificing, we stop organizing.
CESAR CHAVEZThere is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance.
CESAR CHAVEZYou are never strong enough that you don’t need help.
CESAR CHAVEZI’m not going to ask for anything unless the workers want it. If they want it, they’ll ask for it.
CESAR CHAVEZIf you are interested in preventing animal suffering, the first thing you should give up is eggs and milk, because the animals who produce those foods lead the most unhappy lives. You would do better to eat meat and stop eating eggs and dairy products.
CESAR CHAVEZWe have looked into the future and the future is ours.
CESAR CHAVEZWhen 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.
CESAR CHAVEZWe need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community – and this nation.
CESAR CHAVEZ