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Non-violence has suffered its biggest defeat in the hands of people who most want to talk about it.

Cesar Chavez

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.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Children Enjoyment Man Morning Night Oppression Time Women
In 1968, I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry, and unhappy like we do.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Animal Cold Feeling Happiness Myself
Do 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.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Dignity Human Ourselves People Poor
The only ones who make things change are fanatics. If you’re not a fanatic around here, you can’t cut it.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Change Mad Oneself
Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Learning Life Live Violence
When you sacrifice, you force others to sacrifice. It’s an extremely powerful weapon.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Powerful Sacrifice Weapon Yourself
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.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Believe Experience Learning Life Myself Powerful Violence
There’s no turning back. We will win. We are winning because ours is a revolution of mind and heart.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Heart Mind Ourselves Revolution Win
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Achievement Ambition Community Enough Need Ourselves Prosperity See
If you’re not frightened that you might fail, you’ll never do the job. If you’re frightened, you’ll work like crazy.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Crazy Failure Job Yourself
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.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Children Live Ourselves Parents Sacrifice
The people who give you their food give you their heart.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Food Heart People Yourself
The first principle of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Principle Violence
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.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Believe Creation Fall Give Up Imagination Lost Suffering Violence Win
When you have people together who believe in something very strongly – whether it’s religion or politics or unions – things happen.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Believe People Politics Religion Strong Togetherness Unity
In the no-nonsense school of adversity, which we did not choose for ourselves, we are learning how to operate a labor union.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Learning Ourselves Suffering

Non-violence has suffered its biggest defeat in the hands of people who most want to talk about 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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