In the no-nonsense school of adversity, which we did not choose for ourselves, we are learning how to operate a labor union.
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.
More Cesar Chavez Quotes
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From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.
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If we are full of hatred, we can’t really do our work. Hatred saps all that strength and energy we need to plan.
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If 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.
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If you give yourself totally to the nonviolence struggle for peace and justice you also find that people give you their hearts and you will never go hungry and never be alone.
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In this world it is possible to achieve great material wealth, to live an opulent life. But a life built upon those things alone leaves a shallow legacy. In the end, we will be judged by other standards.
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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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Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak. Non-violence is hard work.
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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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Our language is the reflection of ourselves.
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You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read.
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The people united will never be defeated.
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There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.
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The first principle of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating.
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If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.
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Every 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.
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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.
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Being of service is not enough. You must become a servant of the people. When you do, you can demand their commitment in return.
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In the final analysis it doesn’t really matter what the political system is. We don’t need perfect political systems; we need perfect participation.
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Talk is cheap. It is the way we organize and use our lives everyday that tells what we believe in.
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Concentration is inspiration. You must be completely overtaken by your work and your subject. Only then do all your influences and experience come up to the surface.
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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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Through 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.
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Self dedication is a spiritual experience.
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The end of all knowledge must be the building up of character.
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When a man or woman, young, or old, takes a place on the picket line for even a day or two, he will never be the same again.
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The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being but it is also the most true to our nature.
CESAR CHAVEZ