We do not need to kill or destroy to win. We are a movement that builds and not destroys.
CESAR CHAVEZIn the final analysis it doesn’t really matter what the political system is. We don’t need perfect political systems; we need perfect participation.
More Cesar Chavez Quotes
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It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life.
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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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The people united will never be defeated.
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You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.
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Self dedication is a spiritual experience.
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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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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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Our 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.
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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.
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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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There’s no reason to be non-violent. There’s no challenge unless you are living for people.
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The people who give you their food give you their heart.
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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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The first principle of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating.
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In 1968, I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry, and unhappy like we do.
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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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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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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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When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are.
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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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It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. He gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. It is an awesome opportunity.
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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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Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves – and be free.
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In some cases non-violence requires more militancy than violence.
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Violence just hurts those who are already hurt. Instead of exposing the brutality of the oppressor, it justifies it.
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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.
CESAR CHAVEZ